Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Portugal instead of Malta, you would:

Health

be 28.0% less likely to be obese

In Malta, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

live 1.7 years less

In Malta, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 27.1% less money

Malta has a GDP per capita of $57,200 as of 2023, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Malta, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

pay a 61.4% higher top tax rate

Malta has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 44.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Malta, approximately 4.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Malta, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

have 13.8% fewer children

In Malta, there are approximately 9.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 15.3% less on education

Malta spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 9.1 times more coastline

Malta has a total of 197 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Government of Malta - Inland Revenue, Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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How big is Portugal compared to Malta? See an in-depth size comparison.

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