# Spain and Portugal compared

Spain and Portugal side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 8 events their chronicles record of each other.

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

- Spain: 1492 — The Granada War ends and the Catholic Monarchs' realms span the peninsula
- Portugal: 5 October 1143 — The Treaty of Zamora recognises Afonso Henriques as king

## Economy

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $1.73 T | 2024 | $313 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $35,327 | 2024 | $29,292 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.5% | 2024 | 2.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.8% | 2024 | 2.4% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 70.0% | 2024 | 89.7% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 49 m | 2024 | 11 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 83.9 yrs | 2024 | 82.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 80.3% | 2024 | 61.3% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.1 | 2024 | 1.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 76.9 | 2024 | 79.0 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 65.8 | 2024 | 75.1 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 72.9 | 2024 | 69.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 64.7 | 2024 | 66.5 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 73.0 | 2024 | 75.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 62.3 | 2024 | 64.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 9.2% | 2023 | 10.2% | 2024 |
| Physicians | 4.29 | 2022 | 5.85 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 3.2 | 2024 | 3.2 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 97.0% | 2024 | 99.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 99.5% | 2024 | 95.2% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 99.7% | 2021 | 94.5% | 2011 |
| Education spending | 4.6% | 2022 | 4.6% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 102.9% | 2024 | 111.0% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 118.5% | 2024 | 120.3% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 93.8% | 2024 | 77.7% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 1.5% | 2023 | 1.7% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 3,654 | 2023 | 5,983 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 95.8% | 2024 | 88.5% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 130 | 2024 | 124 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 9.3% | 2024 | 6.8% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 499,697 km² | 2023 | 91,606 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 37.2% | 2023 | 36.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 49.6% | 2023 | 43.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 4.5 | 2024 | 3.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 19.0% | 2021 | 32.3% | 2021 |

## Resources

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

## Military

| Metric | Spain | Observed | Portugal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.4% | 2024 | 1.5% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $25 B | 2024 | $4.6 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 199,000 | 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/ESP.md and https://terralore.co/country/PRT.md.

## Entangled histories (8 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.

- 1578: **Disaster at Alcacer Quibir** — King Sebastian was killed leading a crusade into Morocco, triggering the succession crisis that opened the way to Spanish rule. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640)
- 1580-1581: **Iberian Union under Philip II** — Philip II of Spain occupied Portugal and was accepted as king by the Cortes at Tomar in 1581, uniting the two crowns for sixty years. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640)
- 1668: **Spain recognises independence** — By the Treaty of Lisbon, Spain at last acknowledged Portuguese sovereignty, ending the war of Restoration begun in 1640. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: History of Portugal: Union of Spain and Portugal, 1580-1640; History of Portugal)
- 1801 / 1815: **The Olivenca dispute** — Spain occupied Olivenca in 1801 and acquired it by the Treaty of Badajoz; the Congress of Vienna recommended its return to Portugal in 1815, but the sovereignty remains contested. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Written question on the Olivenca issue (Portugal/Spain) and the Ajuda Bridge, E-1298/2003; Treaty of Alcanices (1297))
- 1808-1814: **The Peninsular War** — British, Portuguese and Spanish forces fought the French in the Iberian Peninsula, eventually expelling Napoleon's armies from Portugal and Spain. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Peninsular War)
- 1814: **End of the Peninsular War** — Allied Spanish, British and Portuguese forces expelled the French and restored Spanish independence, but the returning Ferdinand VII reimposed absolute monarchy and revoked the 1812 constitution. (from the Spain chronicle; sources: Spain)
- 1 Jan 1986: **Accession to the European Communities** — Portugal joined the European Communities on 1 January 1986, together with Spain, anchoring its democracy in European integration. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Portugal (EU member country profile))
- 2013: **The Savage Islands maritime dispute** — Spain disputed the exclusive economic zone Portugal claims around the Savage Islands, contending that the islets are rocks under the law of the sea, an issue examined in US State Department maritime studies. (from the Portugal chronicle; sources: Limits in the Seas No. 155, Portugal: Maritime Claims and Boundaries)

## 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/ESP/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/PRT/chronicle.md.

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