averageperson.euOne statistical standard, 27 countries
Explore the data

Side by side

Portugal and Spain

The same question asked of every column. Numbers that break down by age or sex follow the controls; the rest stay country-wide and say so.

Swap sides

Portugal

Spain

The widest gap is Disposable income per person: Spain €20,367 against Portugal €14,465, 40.8% apart.

Ageall ages
Sex

One question per row

The faint tick on each bar is the EU27 figure.

Figure
Portugal
Spain

People

Median age1.5 years
47.3 years
45.8 years
Life expectancy at birth1.5 years
82.5 years
84.0 years
People4.57×
10.7m
49.1m
People per square kilometre21.0%
118 per km²
97.7 per km²
Women in the population1.2 points
52.2%
51.0%
Born abroad3.3 points
16.0%
19.3%
Born outside the EU3.6 points
12.4%
16.0%

Money and work

Disposable income per person40.8%
€14,465
€20,367
Average net income34.8%
€17,019
€22,943
Take-home pay, average-wage worker26.1%
€21,449
€27,041
Gross pay, average-wage worker26.3%
€27,768
€35,076
Minimum wage32.8%
€1,073
€1,425
In work, age 20 to 647.2 points
79.6%
72.4%
Out of work4.5 points
6.0%
10.5%
Hours worked a week2.2 hours
39.8 hours
37.6 hours
At risk of poverty4.1 points
15.4%
19.5%
Housing costs over 40% of income0.9 points
6.3%
7.2%
GDP per person20.5%
€28,390
€34,210

Family and home

People at home4.2%
2.4
2.5
Households with children0.5 points
31.4%
31.9%
Children per woman28.2%
1.41
1.1
Own their home2.4 points
71.2%
73.6%

Health and daily life

Hospital beds16.8%
331 per 100,000 people
284 per 100,000 people
Doctors7.5%
434 per 100,000 people
466 per 100,000 people

Education

With a degree9.7 points
32.7%
42.4%
Students per 1,000 people24.5%
40.4 per 1,000 people
50.3 per 1,000 people

Public spending

Public spending on them29.2%
€11,542
€14,912
Tax raised per person14.8%
€10,648
€12,224
Government debt11.0 points
89.7%
100.7%

Country and infrastructure

Land area5.49×
92,226 km²
505,983 km²
Railway density16.5%
27.8 per 1,000 km²
32.3 per 1,000 km²
Motorway density8.3%
34.2 per 1,000 km²
31.6 per 1,000 km²
Cars per 1,000 people2.0%
561 per 1,000 people
550 per 1,000 people
Households with internet6.3 points
91.1%
97.4%
Tourist nights per resident24.9%
8.32
10.39

Environment

Renewable energy10.7 points
36.7%
26.0%
Land under forest1.1 points
37.0%
38.1%

Where €100 of public spending goes

Every euro each general government spends, sorted into the ten functions all 27 countries report against. Open a row for the ranking of 27 and what sits inside it.

Portugal

Spain

Function
Portugal
Spain
13.7%
12.8%
2.1%
2.0%
3.9%
4.0%
8.6%
11.2%
1.6%
2.1%
1.4%
1.1%
16.1%
14.2%
2.0%
2.7%
10.3%
9.1%
40.4%
41.0%

Reference year 2024. Total public spending €100.00 in every column, so the ten shares always add up to one hundred.

Frequently asked: Portugal and Spain

  1. Where do more people live: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 4.57×: Spain 49.1m, Portugal 10.7m. People usually resident in the country on 1 January. Eurostat · People & Women in the population · 2025. See the figure

  2. Which covers more ground: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 5.49×: Spain 505,983, Portugal 92,226. Total area of the country, inland water included. Eurostat · Land area & People per square kilometre · 2026. See the figure

  3. Where is unemployment higher: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 4.5 points: Spain 10.5%, Portugal 6.0%. Share of 15 to 74 year olds in the labour force who are without work and looking for it. Eurostat · Out of work · 2025. See the figure

  4. Where does more energy come from renewables: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 10.7 points: Portugal 36.7%, Spain 26.0%. Share of final energy use that comes from renewable sources. Eurostat · Renewable energy · 2025. See the figure

  5. Who has more to spend, the typical person in Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 40.8%: Spain €20,367, Portugal €14,465. Median equivalised disposable income: household income after taxes and transfers, divided by household size on the OECD-modified scale. What one person has to spend — not a salary. Eurostat · Disposable income per person, Average net income, & Disposable income by age · 2025. See the figure

  6. Which spends a larger share on recreation and culture: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 0.7 points: Spain 2.7%, Portugal 2.0%. Sport and recreation, libraries, museums, broadcasting, and places of worship. Eurostat · Public spending by function · 2024. See the figure

  7. Where is the minimum wage higher: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 32.8%: Spain €1,425, Portugal €1,073. Gross statutory minimum wage a month, where the law sets one. Six member states set none. Eurostat · Minimum wage · 2026. See the figure

  8. Where are more children born per woman: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 28.2%: Portugal 1.41, Spain 1.1. Children a woman would bear over her life at today’s age-specific birth rates. Eurostat · Children per woman & Age at first child · 2024. See the figure

  9. Where are there more university students per 1,000 people: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 24.5%: Spain 50.3, Portugal 40.4. People in higher education, per 1,000 residents. Eurostat · University students & Students per 1,000 people · 2024. See the figure

  10. Where are there more hospital beds per 100,000 people: Portugal or Spain?

    The gap is 16.8%: Portugal 331, Spain 284. Beds available in hospitals, per 100,000 residents. Eurostat · Hospital beds · 2024. See the figure

Medians where possible, per-capita averages for spending. This person is a composite of published statistics, not the most common person in the country.