# Angola and Portugal compared

Angola and Portugal side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 16 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/ago-vs-prt
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Angola: 11 November 1975 — Portugal grants Angola independence
- Portugal: 5 October 1143 — The Treaty of Zamora recognises Afonso Henriques as king

## Economy

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $101 B | 2024 | $313 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $2,666 | 2024 | $29,292 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 4.4% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 28.2% | 2024 | 2.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 50.8% | 2024 | 89.7% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 38 m | 2024 | 11 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 64.8 yrs | 2024 | 82.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 70.7% | 2024 | 61.3% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 5.0 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 38.3 | 2024 | 79.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 56.1 | 2024 | 75.1 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 36.1 | 2024 | 69.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 42.7 | 2024 | 66.5 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 36.8 | 2024 | 75.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 35.3 | 2024 | 64.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 2.5% | 2023 | 10.2% | 2024 |
| Physicians | 0.24 | 2022 | 5.85 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 49.0 | 2024 | 3.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 53.0% | 2024 | 99.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | — | — | 95.2% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 68.2% | 2023 | 94.5% | 2011 |
| Education spending | 2.5% | 2023 | 4.6% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 86.7% | 2023 | 111.0% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 51.5% | 2023 | 120.3% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 10.0% | 2024 | 77.7% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.0% | 2016 | 1.7% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 19 | 2016 | 5,983 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 40.7% | 2024 | 88.5% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 70 | 2024 | 124 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 16.7% | 2024 | 6.8% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,246,700 km² | 2023 | 91,606 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 52.1% | 2023 | 36.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 36.9% | 2023 | 43.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.7 | 2024 | 3.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 52.9% | 2021 | 32.3% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 30.0% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 28.3% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.7% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 51.1% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Lithium (mined) | — | — | 380 t | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Angola | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.0% | 2024 | 1.5% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $922 M | 2024 | $4.6 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 117,000 | 2020 | 52,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/AGO.md and https://terralore.co/country/PRT.md.

## Entangled histories (16 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1483: **Portuguese reach the Kingdom of Kongo** — The navigator Diogo Cão reached the mouth of the Congo River and made contact with the Kingdom of Kongo, opening relations between this powerful Central African monarchy and Portugal. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history); Portuguese Angola; Kingdom of Kongo)
- c. 1491: **Kongo adopts Christianity** — The Kongo ruler was baptised and, under his son Afonso I, the kingdom embraced Catholicism, literacy and sustained diplomatic ties with Portugal and the papacy. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Kingdom of Kongo; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- 1576: **Portuguese found Luanda** — Paulo Dias de Novais established São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda on the Angolan coast, creating the base from which Portuguese power and the slave trade would expand. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Luanda, Angola (1576– ); Portuguese Angola; Portuguese Angola)
- 1617: **Founding of Benguela** — The Portuguese established the port of Benguela to the south, which would become a second major outlet for the export of enslaved Africans to the Americas. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Portuguese Angola; Slavery in Angola)
- 1624: **Njinga becomes queen of Ndongo** — After leading a diplomatic mission to the Portuguese in 1621, Njinga Mbande took the throne of Ndongo, beginning a decades-long struggle against Portuguese expansion. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba; Njinga a Mbande: Power and War in 17th-Century Angola; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- c. 1631: **Njinga rules from Matamba** — Driven from Ndongo by the Portuguese, Njinga rebuilt her power in the eastern kingdom of Matamba, from which she resisted, raided and negotiated with the colonisers until peace in 1656. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba; Njinga a Mbande: Power and War in 17th-Century Angola)
- 1836: **Portugal abolishes the slave trade** — Portugal formally outlawed the transatlantic slave trade, ending Luanda's centuries as a slaving port, though clandestine traffic and later forced labour persisted in Angola. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Slavery in Angola; Portuguese Angola)
- 1884–1885: **Berlin Conference and the Scramble** — The Berlin Conference required Portugal to demonstrate effective occupation of Angola, spurring the military campaigns that would subdue the independent interior kingdoms. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Portuguese Angola; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- c. 1890–1904: **Conquest of the Ovimbundu kingdoms** — Portuguese forces conquered the Ovimbundu kingdoms of the central highlands, bringing one of Angola's largest peoples under colonial control. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: Angola — Ovimbundu and Kwanhama Kingdoms; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- 1904: **Battle of the Cunene** — Heavy fighting against the Kwanhama (Ovambo) in the south marked the violent and protracted character of the Portuguese conquest of Angola's interior frontier. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: History of Angola; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- by the 1920s: **Effective occupation completed** — Only in the early twentieth century, with pacification campaigns continuing into the 1920s, did Portugal establish effective control over the whole of Angola. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: History of Angola; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- January–March 1961: **Revolt breaks out** — The Baixa de Cassanje cotton workers' revolt, the 4 February attack on a Luanda prison, and the UPA's 15 March uprising in the north marked the start of Angola's war of independence against Portugal. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: History of Angola; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history); Baixa do Cassange Revolt)
- 25 April 1974: **Carnation Revolution in Portugal** — A military coup overthrew Portugal's dictatorship, and the new government moved to decolonise, opening the path to Angolan independence. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: The Angola Crisis 1974–75; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- January 1975: **Alvor Agreement** — Portugal, the MPLA, the FNLA and UNITA signed the Alvor Agreement, providing for a transitional government and independence, but trust between the movements quickly collapsed into open conflict. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: The Angola Crisis 1974–75; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))
- 1975: **Decolonisation of the African empire** — Following the revolution, Portugal's African colonies, including Angola and Mozambique, became independent in 1975, ending an empire begun in 1415. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Revolution of the Carnations; Estado Novo (Portuguese history))
- 11 November 1975: **Independence proclaimed** — As the Portuguese departed, the MPLA proclaimed the People's Republic of Angola in Luanda under Agostinho Neto, marking the country's independence amid a contest with the rival movements. (from the Angola chronicle; sources: The Angola Crisis 1974–75; Angola Gains Its Independence From Portugal; Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/AGO/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/PRT/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Angola and Portugal compared", terralore.co/compare/ago-vs-prt, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.