Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain is 68% bigger than Italy
Italy: 302,070 km² (2024) · Spain: 505,981 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 44% of Italy
Italy: 43.6% (2024) · Spain: 49.3% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 3.2 times as many refugees per resident as Italy
Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Spain: 10.4 per 1,000 (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 (2026) · Spain: 1.4 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
Italy and Spain are practically level
Italy: 0.9% (2023) · Spain: 0.8% (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?
Spain and Italy are practically level
Italy: 1.9% (2025) · Spain: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Spain’s 15%
Italy: 25.6% (2024) · Spain: 14.9% (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 many hospital beds are there?
Italy has 5% more hospital beds per person than Spain
Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Spain is 25% higher than in Italy
Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 12 more World Heritage sites than Spain (62 against 50)
Italy: 62 (2026) · Spain: 50 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Spain 195
Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · Spain: 195 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Spain is 18% faster than in Italy
Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · Spain: 324 Mbps (2026)
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 38% of Spain, but only 32% of Italy
Italy: 31.8% (2024) · Spain: 38.2% (2024)
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 37% deadlier than in Spain
Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
