Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside Mexico 21 times.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 5.2 times as long as Portugal’s.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 3,285 m above Portugal’s.
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 12 times as many people as Portugal.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 74% more densely populated than Mexico.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 4.1 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 3.3 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 17 years older than in Mexico.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.5 more children on average than in Portugal.
Mexico: 1.89 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 8.5% in Mexico.
Mexico: 8.5% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mexico and Portugal are practically level.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 5.3 times the size of Portugal’s.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 2.1 times as much per person as Mexico.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in Portugal (Gini 8.7 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 2.7% in Mexico.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.9%.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Mexico’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as Mexico.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 7.1 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Mexico.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 23% in Portugal.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 16% in Mexico.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.94 points higher than in Portugal.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Mexico.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 27% more meat per person than Mexico.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 248 kcal more food per person per day than Mexico.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Portugal put in 106 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Portugal went to school 0.35 years longer than in Mexico.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 7.9 times as many tourists per resident as Mexico (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 83% in Mexico.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Portugal and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 9.3 times as long as Portugal’s.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 2.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mexico.
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 34% of Mexico.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mexico emits 3% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mexico carries 74% more fine dust than in Portugal.
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 35 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in Portugal.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mexico are 67% deadlier than in Portugal.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 5.5 °C warmer than Portugal.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Mexico gets 1% more rain than Portugal.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than Portugal?
Mexico is larger. Portugal fits inside Mexico 21 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or Portugal?
Mexico has 12 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 7.1 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Mexico or Portugal?
Men in Portugal are 4.1 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
