Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal is 31% bigger than Ireland.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 24% longer than Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Portugal’s highest peak towers 1,310 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Portugal has 2 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 48% more densely populated than Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 4.7 cm taller than in Portugal.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 3.3 cm taller than in Portugal.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 7.8 years older than in Ireland.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.1 more children on average than in Portugal.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 16% in Ireland.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Portugal 1.9.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Portugal 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Portugal’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2.9 times as much per person as Portugal.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in Ireland (Gini 4.9 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 4.6% in Ireland.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Portugal’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 2.5 times as much on health per person as Portugal.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 0.63 years longer than in Portugal.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ireland is 26% more likely to die before turning one than in Portugal.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 51% more doctors per person than Ireland.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 23% in Portugal.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 18% in Ireland.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.90 points higher than in Portugal.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 34% more alcohol than in Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal and Ireland are nearly identical here.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 368 kcal more food per person per day than Portugal.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Portugal put in 81 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 2 years longer than in Portugal.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 23% more tourists per resident than Ireland (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 88% in Portugal.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and Portugal are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 53% longer than Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from Portugal.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 86% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Portugal carries 42% more fine dust than in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10% more likely to be murdered in Portugal than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Portugal are 2.6 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Portugal is on average 5.6 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 47% more rain than Portugal.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Portugal?
Portugal is larger. Portugal is 31% bigger than Ireland.
Which has more people, Ireland or Portugal?
Portugal has 2 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Portugal?
People in Ireland live 0.63 years longer than in Portugal. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Ireland or Portugal?
Men in Ireland are 4.7 cm taller than in Portugal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
