Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain is 68% bigger than Italy.
Italy: 302,070 km² (2023) · Spain: 505,976 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 53% longer than Spain’s.
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 1,030 m above Spain’s.
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 19% more people than Spain.
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 2 times as densely populated as Spain.
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 1.7 cm taller than in Italy.
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Spain and Italy are practically level.
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 2.6 years older than in Spain.
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Italy have 0.1 more children on average than in Spain.
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 22% in Spain.
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Spain 1.4.
Italy: 3.4 (2025) · Spain: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Italy and Spain are practically level.
Italy: 1 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 34% larger than Spain’s.
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 5% more per person than Spain.
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Spain (Gini 0.9 points higher).
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 6.4% in Italy.
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy and Spain are practically level.
Italy: 1.6% (2024) · Spain: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Spain’s.
Italy: 69% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 9% more on health per person than Spain.
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
Italy and Spain are practically level.
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Spain is 13% more likely to die before turning one than in Italy.
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 2% more doctors per person than Italy.
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Spain are obese, versus 18% in Italy.
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 22% in Italy.
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 0.03 points higher than in Spain.
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 43% more alcohol than in Italy.
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 42% more meat per person than Italy.
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 376 kcal more food per person per day than Spain.
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Italy put in 63 more hours a year than in Spain.
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 0.07 years longer than in Spain.
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 2 times as many tourists per resident as Italy (2019).
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 89% in Italy.
Italy: 89% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Spain are practically level.
Italy: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 70% in Italy.
Italy: 70% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130.
Italy: 133 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 8% longer than Spain’s.
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 5.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy.
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Spain, but only 33% of Italy.
Italy: 32.9% (2023) · Spain: 37.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 11% more CO₂ than someone in Spain.
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 49% in Italy.
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Italy carries 52% more fine dust than in Spain.
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 22% more likely to be murdered in Spain than in Italy.
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Italy are 43% deadlier than in Spain.
Italy: 5 per 100k (2021) · Spain: 3.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 0.9 °C warmer than Italy.
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 55% more rain than Spain.
Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Italy bigger than Spain?
Spain is larger. Spain is 68% bigger than Italy.
Which has more people, Italy or Spain?
Italy has 19% more people than Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Spain?
Italy and Spain are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in Italy or Spain?
Men in Spain are 1.7 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
