Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside the United Kingdom 2.6 times
Portugal: 92,230 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 6.9 times as long as Portugal’s
Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Portugal’s highest peak towers 1,006 m above the United Kingdom’s
Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 41% of Portugal
Portugal: 41.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 6.4 times as many people as Portugal
Portugal: 10.8 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.4 times as densely populated as Portugal
Portugal: 118 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 3.8 cm taller than in Portugal
Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 2.7 cm taller than in Portugal
Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 6.4 years older than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 46.2 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in Portugal
Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 24.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Kingdom hosts 28% more refugees per resident than Portugal
Portugal: 6.5 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Portugal 1.9
Portugal: 1.9 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Portugal and the United Kingdom are practically level
Portugal: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 12 times the size of Portugal’s
Portugal: $347 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 22% more per person than Portugal
Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in the United Kingdom (Gini 1.5 points higher)
Portugal: 33.9 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Portugal and the United Kingdom are practically level
Portugal: 0.4% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 6.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Portugal 1.7%
Portugal: 1.7% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Portugal’s 22%
Portugal: 22.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Portugal’s
Portugal: 60% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 2 times as much on health per person as Portugal
Portugal: $2,971 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 1 year longer than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 82.4 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 52% more likely to die before turning one than in Portugal
Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 77% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom
Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Portugal has 44% more hospital beds per person than the United Kingdom
Portugal: 3.5 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 12% higher than in Portugal
Portugal: 8.6 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 23% in Portugal
Portugal: 23% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 28.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.67 points higher than in Portugal
Portugal: 6.03 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 32% more alcohol than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 18% more meat per person than the United Kingdom
Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 118 kcal more food per person per day than the United Kingdom
Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Portugal put in 212 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 3.8 years longer than in Portugal
Portugal: 9.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 4.9 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019)
Portugal: 2.71 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 18 more World Heritage sites than Portugal (35 against 17)
Portugal: 17 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Portugal 32
Portugal: 32 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 88% in Portugal
Portugal: 88% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Portugal is 9% faster than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 330 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Portugal and the United Kingdom are practically level
Portugal: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal
Portugal: 61% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Portugal: 124 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 6.4 times as long as Portugal’s
Portugal: 2,527 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 1% more passengers per resident than those from Portugal
Portugal: 1.69 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Portugal, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Portugal: 36.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 33% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal
Portugal: 3.4 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 81% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Portugal carries 19% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 55% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Portugal
Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Portugal are 2.8 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Portugal: 11 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Portugal is on average 5.9 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 38% more rain than Portugal
Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Portugal bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Portugal fits inside the United Kingdom 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Portugal or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 6.4 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Portugal or the United Kingdom?
People in Portugal live 1 year longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 82.4 years in Portugal and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Portugal or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 3.8 cm taller than in Portugal (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
