France vs Portugal

Every indicator for France and Portugal side by side, with the percentage gap between them. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

Indicator comparison
IndicatorFrancePortugalDifference
Population (2025) (people)68,720,33710,804,871+536.0%
GDP (nominal) (billion $)3,366347+870.0%
GDP per capita ($)48,98632,082+52.7%
Life expectancy (years)83.082.4—
Area (km²)606,41092,230+557.5%
Population density (people/km²)113117−3.3%
Median age (years)42.346.9—
Internet usage (%)88.788.5—
Unemployment rate (%)7.56.2—
Inflation (%)0.92.3—
Urban population (%)78.861.5—
Military expenditure (2024) (million $)64,6754,642+1,293.3%
Military expenditure as a share of GDP (%)2.051.53+34.0%
Military expenditure as a share of government spending (%)3.593.57+0.6%
Military expenditure per capita ($)941430+119.1%
Armed forces personnel (2020) (people)304,00052,000+484.6%
Armed forces per 1,000 people (people)4.44.8−8.1%
Armed forces as a share of the labor force (%)1.001.01−1.0%

The difference column shows the percentage gap of France relative to Portugal; a positive value favors France. Interpret it in context — for unemployment, a lower value is better.

At a glance

France is higher on 9 of the 12 indicators, while Portugal leads on the remaining 3. The widest separation is in military expenditure (2024), about 14 times; they are closest on military expenditure as a share of government spending.

Key differences

  • Military expenditure (2024) shows the widest gap of all: France stands at 64,675 against Portugal's 4,642 — roughly 14 times as much.
  • France's gdp (nominal) (3,366) is about 9.7 times Portugal's (347).
  • France's area (606,410) is about 6.6 times Portugal's (92,230).
  • France's population (2025) (68,720,337) is about 6.4 times Portugal's (10,804,871).
  • France's armed forces personnel (2020) (304,000) is about 5.8 times Portugal's (52,000).

Frequently asked questions

Where do France and Portugal differ most?
In military expenditure (2024). France records 64,675 against Portugal's 4,642 — a ratio of roughly 14 to one.
Where are France and Portugal most alike?
In military expenditure as a share of government spending, at 3.59 and 3.57 — a gap of only %0.6.
On how many indicators is France ahead of Portugal?
France is higher on 9 of the 12 ratio-scale indicators and Portugal on 3. A higher number is not automatically better, though — population density, for instance, is a characteristic rather than an advantage.
France and Portugal — core indicators
020 M40 M60 M80 MPopulation (2025)GDP (nominal)GDP per capitaAreaPopulation (2025) — France: 68,720,337GDP (nominal) — France: 3,366GDP per capita — France: 48,986Area — France: 606,410Population (2025) — Portugal: 10,804,871GDP (nominal) — Portugal: 347GDP per capita — Portugal: 32,082Area — Portugal: 92,230
FrancePortugal

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only; use the table for exact figures.

Other comparisons involving France or Portugal.

Data sourcesUN World Population Prospects, IMF, World Bank, SIPRI