Portugal vs United States of America: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
Portugal
97.5%
in 2025
United States of America
97.5%
in 2025
Portugal rank
67th
United States of America rank
68th
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government over time
- Portugal
- United States of America
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 97.5% against 97.5% in United States of America, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 67th and United States of America ranks 68th of 174 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 11 and United States of America in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 100.0% | 95.0% | 5.0% | Portugal |
| 1790s | 100.0% | 95.0% | 5.0% | Portugal |
| 1800s | 100.0% | 63.5% | 36.5% | Portugal |
| 1810s | 100.0% | 60.5% | 39.5% | Portugal |
| 1820s | 100.0% | 71.0% | 29.0% | Portugal |
| 1830s | 76.0% | 77.5% | 1.5% | United States of America |
| 1840s | 89.7% | 78.0% | 11.7% | Portugal |
| 1850s | 97.2% | 80.0% | 17.2% | Portugal |
| 1860s | 97.2% | 84.0% | 13.2% | Portugal |
| 1870s | 97.2% | 90.0% | 7.2% | Portugal |
| 1880s | 97.2% | 90.0% | 7.2% | Portugal |
| 1890s | 97.2% | 95.0% | 2.2% | Portugal |
| 1900s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1910s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1920s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1930s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1940s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1950s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1960s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1970s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1980s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 1990s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 2000s | 97.2% | 98.5% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 97.0% | 98.2% | 1.3% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 96.8% | 97.5% | 0.6% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of territory effectively controlled by government, Portugal or United States of America?
- Portugal, at 97.5% against 97.5% in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in percentage of territory effectively controlled by government between Portugal and United States of America?
- 0.0%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and United States of America?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Portugal and United States of America rank globally for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Portugal ranks 67th and United States of America ranks 68th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.