Portugal vs Spain
Portugal vs Spain: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 89.7% of GDP in Portugal and 100.5% of GDP in Spain, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Spain, by 10.8 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in Portugal.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Spain has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Portugal.
- In 2025, Portugal ranked 23 and Spain ranked 14 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Portugal at 72% of GDP and Spain at 89.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Portugal | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89.7 | 100.5 |
| 2024 | 93.5 | 101.4 |
| 2023 | 96.9 | 105.2 |
| 2022 | 111.2 | 109.2 |
| 2021 | 123.9 | 115.6 |
| 2020 | 134.1 | 119.2 |
| 2019 | 116.1 | 97.6 |
| 2018 | 121.1 | 99.7 |
| 2017 | 126 | 101.1 |
| 2016 | 131.2 | 102 |
| 2015 | 131 | 102.4 |
| 2014 | 132.5 | 104.4 |
| 2013 | 130.8 | 100 |
| 2012 | 128.6 | 89.6 |
| 2011 | 114 | 69.5 |
| 2010 | 99.9 | 60.3 |
| 2009 | 87.6 | 53.1 |
| 2008 | 75.5 | 39.6 |
| 2007 | 72.7 | 35.7 |
| 2006 | 73.7 | 39 |
| 2005 | 72.2 | 42.4 |
| 2004 | 67.1 | 45.3 |
| 2003 | 63.9 | 47.7 |
| 2002 | 60 | 51.2 |
| 2001 | 57.4 | 54.1 |
| 2000 | 54.2 | 57.8 |
| 1999 | 55.4 | 60.9 |
| 1998 | 55.6 | 62.4 |
| 1997 | 58.2 | 64.3 |
| 1996 | 64.8 | 65.4 |
| 1995 | 63.5 | 61.6 |
| 1994 | 61.6 | 57 |
| 1993 | 58.4 | 54.6 |
| 1992 | 59.3 | 44.1 |
| 1991 | 65.2 | 41.9 |
| 1990 | 61.4 | 41.3 |
| 1989 | – | 39.9 |
| 1988 | – | 38.5 |
| 1987 | – | 41.9 |
| 1986 | – | 42.1 |
| 1985 | – | 40.9 |
| 1984 | – | 36 |
| 1983 | – | 29.5 |
| 1982 | – | 24.4 |
| 1981 | – | 19.5 |
| 1980 | – | 16.1 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Portugal | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 85.1 | 97.6 |
| 2027 | 81 | 95.2 |
| 2028 | 77.9 | 93.2 |
| 2029 | 75.3 | 92 |
| 2030 | 73.4 | 90.7 |
| 2031 | 72 | 89.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Portugal vs Spain
Health
- Life expectancyPortugal: 82.4 years in 2023Spain: 83.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityPortugal: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Spain: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityPortugal: 2.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Spain: 2.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterPortugal: 95.2% in 2022Spain: 99.6% in 2022
- DepressionPortugal: 4.42% in 2017Spain: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide ratePortugal: 7.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Spain: 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationPortugal: 10.4 million people in 2023Spain: 47.9 million people in 2023
- Population growthPortugal: -0% a year in 2023Spain: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility ratePortugal: 1.51 births per woman in 2023Spain: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationPortugal: 61.5% in 2025Spain: 80.5% in 2025
- Median agePortugal: 46.2 years in 2023Spain: 44.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overPortugal: 24.1% in 2023Spain: 20.7% in 2023
- Net migration ratePortugal: 2.8 per 1,000 people in 2023Spain: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingPortugal: 1.71% of GDP in 2025Spain: 2.13% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsPortugal: $5.51B in 2025Spain: $37.7B in 2025
- Military spending per personPortugal: $563 in 2025Spain: $839 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingPortugal: 4% of government spending in 2025Spain: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelPortugal: 52,000 people in 2020Spain: 199,000 people in 2020
- National powerPortugal: 0.12% of world capability in 2022Spain: 0.66% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersPortugal: 1.01% of the labour force in 2020Spain: 0.87% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsPortugal: 90 million TIV in 2025Spain: 237 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsPortugal: 1 million TIV in 2025Spain: 341 million TIV in 2025