Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Portugal 4.2 times.
Israel: 22,070 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 6.6 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Portugal’s highest peak towers 115 m above Israel’s.
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Portugal has 7% more people than Israel.
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 4 times as densely populated as Portugal.
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Israel are 1.6 cm taller than in Portugal.
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Israel are 1.0 cm taller than in Portugal.
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 17 years older than in Israel.
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.5 more children on average than in Portugal.
Israel: 2.87 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 13% in Israel.
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Portugal 1.9.
Israel: 5.9 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, Portugal 1.
Israel: 2 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Israel’s economy is 76% larger than Portugal’s.
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Israel produces 12% more per person than Portugal.
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in Portugal (Gini 4.4 points higher).
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 3.5% in Israel.
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, Portugal 1.5%.
Israel: 8.8% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Portugal’s.
Israel: 101% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 32% more on health per person than Portugal.
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Israel live 0.81 years longer than in Portugal.
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Israel and Portugal are nearly identical here.
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 54% more doctors per person than Israel.
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
Israel and Portugal are practically level.
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 21% in Israel.
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 1.16 points higher than in Portugal.
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 9% more meat per person than Portugal.
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 201 kcal more food per person per day than Portugal.
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 155 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 3.8 years longer than in Portugal.
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 28 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019).
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Portugal and Israel are practically level.
Israel: 88% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and Portugal are practically level.
Israel: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Israel: 92% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal 124.
Israel: 177 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 47% longer than Israel’s.
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Israel.
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 6.5% of Israel.
Israel: 6.5% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Israel emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal.
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel.
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 94% more fine dust than in Portugal.
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in Portugal.
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Portugal are 71% deadlier than in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 5.3 °C warmer than Portugal.
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Portugal gets 3.8 times as much rain as Israel.
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than Portugal?
Portugal is larger. Israel fits inside Portugal 4.2 times.
Which has more people, Israel or Portugal?
Portugal has 7% more people than Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or Portugal?
People in Israel live 0.81 years longer than in Portugal. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Israel or Portugal?
Men in Israel are 1.6 cm taller than in Portugal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
