EUR
…
EUR
…
Land Area
Spain
505,992 km²
Largest
Italy
301,340 km²
59.6% of largest
Spain is 1.68× larger than Italy
Population
Italy
LARGEST
58.92M
PEOPLE
Spain
83.8% OF LARGEST
49.36M
PEOPLE
Italy has 1.19× the population of Spain
GDP
Italy
LARGEST
$2.55T
Spain
74.7% OF LARGEST
$1.91T
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
Italy
LARGEST
170K
TROOPS
Spain
70.8% OF LARGEST
120.35K
TROOPS
Italy has 1.41× the active personnel of Spain
Air Force
Italy
LARGEST
862
AIRCRAFT
Spain
60.6% OF LARGEST
522
AIRCRAFT
Italy has 1.65× the aircraft of Spain
Naval Assets
Italy
Spain
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
2,451.9
Metric Tonnes
Spain
11.5% OF LARGEST
281.6
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
$85B
Reserves · excl. gold
Spain
98.8% OF LARGEST
$84B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Italy
MOST
73
billionaires
Spain
40% OF MOST
29
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Italy
LARGEST
0.5
Billion barrels
Spain
30.0% OF LARGEST
0.2
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Italy
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.1M b/d
Consumption
1.2M b/d
−1.1M b/d net
Spain
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.0M b/d
Consumption
1.3M b/d
−1.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Italy
$773.9B
Exports
$773.9B
Imports
$721.8B
Trade Balance
+$52.1B
Trade Surplus
Spain
$639.5B
Exports
$639.5B
Imports
$567.7B
Trade Balance
+$71.8B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Italy
consumption
Spain
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Spain
consumption
Italy
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Spain
consumption
Italy
consumption
Wine
litres / person / yr
Italy
consumption
Spain
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Spain
consumption
Italy
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Spain
Italy
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Italy
283
Gold
255
Silver
300
Bronze
838
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 667
❄ Winter: 171
Spain
55
Gold
77
Silver
63
Bronze
195
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 187
❄ Winter: 8
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Italy
Spain
Age Demographics
Median Age
Italy
47.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Spain
44.9
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Italy is 3.0 years older (median) than Spain
Youth Population
Italy has the highest youth population at 29.0% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Italy has the highest elderly population at 31.5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Italy
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
189
|
190
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
57.2M
|
85.2M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
21
|
8
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
15
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
59
|
50
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Italy
|
Spain
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $15 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $60 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $850 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $600 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $155 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $30 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $40 | N/A |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Italy
Spain
Physicians per 1,000
Spain
Italy
Hospital beds per 1,000
Italy
Spain
Diabetes prevalence
Spain
Italy
Obesity prevalence
Spain
Italy
Suicide rate per 100k
Spain
Italy
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Italy vs Spain — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Italy | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 58915656 | 49355143 |
| Area (sq km) | 301340 | 505992 |
| Capital | Rome | Madrid |
| Official Language | Italian | Spanish |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Government Type | Unitary parliamentary republic | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | Italy | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 170,000 | 120,350 |
| Reserve Personnel | 18,300 | 15,150 |
| Total Military Personnel | 188,300 | 135,500 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $29,800,000,000 | $14,900,000,000 |
| Tanks | 200 | 327 |
| Armored Vehicles | 3,500 | 2,040 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 89 | 96 |
| Towed Artillery | 70 | 56 |
| Rocket Projectors | 21 | 0 |
Economy
| Metric | Italy | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $2,551,556,954,100 | $1,906,453,309,986 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $43,309 | $38,627 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 34.3 | 33.4 |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Spain is 1.7 times larger in area than Italy.
Italy has 1.2 times more people than Spain.
Italy has the highest GDP per capita at $43,309 among the selected countries.
Italy has the largest economy with a GDP of
$2.55 trillion.
Italy has the largest active military personnel with 170,000 troops.
Italy has the largest air force with 862 aircraft.
Italy has the largest navy with 143 vessels.
Italy vs Spain: Key Comparisons
Economy: Italy's GDP of $2.6T is 1.3x larger than Spain's $1.9T — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: Italy's population of 59M is 1.2x larger than Spain's 49M.
Area: Spain covers 505,992 km², making it 1.7x larger than Italy.
Military: Italy fields 170Thousand active troops vs Spain's 120Thousand.
Trade: Italy runs a trade surplus of $52B while Spain runs a trade surplus of $72B.
Life Expectancy: Italy leads with a life expectancy of 84 years vs Spain's 84.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology