# Brazil and Portugal compared

Brazil and Portugal side by side: 44 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 7 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/bra-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

- Brazil: 7 September 1822 — Pedro of Braganza declares independence beside the Ipiranga brook
- Portugal: 5 October 1143 — The Treaty of Zamora recognises Afonso Henriques as king

## Economy

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $2.19 T | 2024 | $313 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $10,311 | 2024 | $29,292 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.4% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 4.4% | 2024 | 2.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 35.6% | 2024 | 89.7% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 212 m | 2024 | 11 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 76.0 yrs | 2024 | 82.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 87.9% | 2024 | 61.3% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.6 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 62.4 | 2024 | 79.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 57.0 | 2024 | 75.1 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 47.0 | 2024 | 69.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 50.2 | 2024 | 66.5 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 49.3 | 2024 | 75.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 39.6 | 2024 | 64.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 9.7% | 2023 | 10.2% | 2024 |
| Physicians | 2.36 | 2023 | 5.85 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 14.2 | 2024 | 3.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 93.0% | 2024 | 99.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 88.6% | 2024 | 95.2% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 94.7% | 2024 | 94.5% | 2011 |
| Education spending | 5.6% | 2022 | 4.6% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.3% | 2024 | 111.0% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 104.1% | 2024 | 120.3% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 69.7% | 2024 | 77.7% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 1.2% | 2023 | 1.7% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 903 | 2014 | 5,983 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 84.5% | 2024 | 88.5% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 102 | 2024 | 124 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 11.1% | 2024 | 6.8% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 8,358,140 km² | 2023 | 91,606 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 59.0% | 2023 | 36.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 28.3% | 2023 | 43.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 2.3 | 2024 | 3.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 46.5% | 2021 | 32.3% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 7.9% | 2021 | 0.3% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 2.6% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 4.5% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.8% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 99.8% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Iron ore | 420 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Gold (mined) | 80 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Lithium (mined) | 12.0 kt | 2025 | 380 t | 2025 |
| Nickel (mined) | 70.0 kt | 2025 | — | — |
| Rare earths | 2,000 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Bauxite | 33 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Phosphate rock | 5.0 Mt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | Brazil | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.0% | 2024 | 1.5% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $21 B | 2024 | $4.6 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 762,000 | 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/BRA.md and https://terralore.co/country/PRT.md.

## Entangled histories (7 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.

- 7 Jun 1494: **Treaty of Tordesillas** — Portugal and Castile divided the unexplored world along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands, an agreement that underpinned Portugal's claim to Brazil. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Treaty of Tordesillas (1494))
- April 1500: **Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal** — Pedro Alvares Cabral makes landfall on the coast near present-day Porto Seguro and claims the land for the Portuguese crown. (from the Brazil chronicle; sources: Pedro Alvares Cabral; Brazil)
- 22 Apr 1500: **Cabral reaches Brazil** — A fleet under Pedro Alvares Cabral, en route to India, made landfall on the coast of Brazil and claimed it for the Portuguese crown. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Pedro Alvares Cabral)
- 27 Nov 1807: **Court flees to Brazil** — As a French army invaded, the prince regent and royal court sailed for Brazil under British escort, moving the seat of the Portuguese monarchy to Rio de Janeiro. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Peninsular War; John VI, king of Portugal)
- 1808-1821: **The court moves to Rio** — Fleeing Napoleon, the Portuguese royal court relocates to Rio de Janeiro, which becomes the seat of the empire and is opened to wider trade. (from the Brazil chronicle; sources: Brazil; Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil)
- 7 Sep 1822: **Independence of Brazil** — Pedro, regent and son of John VI, declared Brazil independent and became its emperor, ending Portugal's rule over its largest and wealthiest colony. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Pedro I, emperor of Brazil; John VI, king of Portugal)
- late 19th-early 20th c.: **Mass immigration** — Millions of immigrants, especially Italians, Portuguese, Spaniards, and Japanese, arrive to work coffee and settle the south, reshaping Brazilian society. (from the Brazil chronicle; sources: Brazil)

## 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
- 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
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

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

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