Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside Romania 2.6 times.
Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 8 times as long as Romania’s.
Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 193 m above Portugal’s.
Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 76% more people than Portugal.
Portugal: 10.8 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 43% more densely populated than Romania.
Portugal: 118 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 3.4 cm taller than in Portugal.
Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 3.5 cm taller than in Portugal.
Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 3.6 years older than in Romania.
Portugal: 46.2 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Portugal have 0.0 more children on average than in Romania.
Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 20% in Romania.
Portugal: 24.9% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Portugal 1.9.
Portugal: 1.9 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Portugal and Romania are practically level.
Portugal: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 24% larger than Portugal’s.
Portugal: $347 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 4% more per person than Romania.
Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in Romania (Gini 4.1 points higher).
Portugal: 33.9 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Portugal and Romania are practically level.
Portugal: 6.2% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Portugal 1.5%.
Portugal: 1.5% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Romania’s.
Portugal: 60% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 2.8 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Portugal: $2,971 (2024) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 5.9 years longer than in Romania.
Portugal: 82.4 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal.
Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 61% more doctors per person than Romania.
Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 23% in Portugal.
Portugal: 23% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 29% in Portugal.
Portugal: 28.6% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 0.60 points higher than in Portugal.
Portugal: 6.03 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 24% more alcohol than in Portugal.
Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 37% more meat per person than Romania.
Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 96 kcal more food per person per day than Portugal.
Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 91 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 1.8 years longer than in Portugal.
Portugal: 9.7 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 3.9 times as many tourists per resident as Romania (2019).
Portugal: 2.71 (2024) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 88% in Portugal.
Portugal: 88% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Portugal and Romania are practically level.
Portugal: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
61% of people in Portugal live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Portugal: 61% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Portugal: 124 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 4.3 times as long as Portugal’s.
Portugal: 2,527 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Portugal: 1.69 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 30% of Romania.
Portugal: 36.2% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Romania emits 6% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal.
Portugal: 3.4 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
Portugal: 81% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 36% more fine dust than in Portugal.
Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 56% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Portugal.
Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 33% deadlier than in Portugal.
Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Portugal is on average 4.9 °C warmer than Romania.
Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Portugal gets 2% more rain than Romania.
Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Portugal bigger than Romania?
Romania is larger. Portugal fits inside Romania 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Portugal or Romania?
Romania has 76% more people than Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Portugal or Romania?
People in Portugal live 5.9 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 82.4 years in Portugal and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Portugal or Romania?
Men in Romania are 3.4 cm taller than in Portugal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
