Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Portugal 2.2 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 4 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Portugal’s highest peak towers 1,489 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 67% more people than Portugal.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 4.6 times as densely populated as Portugal.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 9.4 cm taller than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 9.1 cm taller than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 4.8 years older than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.0 more children on average than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 1.43 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 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Portugal 1.9.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Portugal are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 3.8 times the size of Portugal’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 64% more per person than Portugal.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in the Netherlands (Gini 8.2 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Portugal are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Portugal’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Portugal.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 0.42 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 26% more likely to die before turning one than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Portugal are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 1.19 points higher than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 61% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 39% more meat per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 86 kcal more food per person per day than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Portugal put in 296 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 3 years longer than in Portugal.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as the Netherlands (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 88% in Portugal.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Portugal are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal 124.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 20% longer than Portugal’s.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 35% more passengers per resident than those from Portugal.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 85% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Portugal carries 9% more fine dust than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4% more likely to be murdered in Portugal than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Portugal are 2.1 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Portugal is on average 4.7 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 14% more rain than Portugal.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Portugal?
Portugal is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Portugal 2.2 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Portugal?
The Netherlands has 67% more people than Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 0.42 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Portugal?
Men in the Netherlands are 9.4 cm taller than in Portugal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
