Portugal just beat the US on this

Another week, another ranking, and this one is good news. It's Monday, 7 September. Thirty degrees. Air quality: 48 (Good). Here's what you need to know.

🗞️ PORTUGAL RANKS 21ST IN THE WORLD FOR QUALITY OF LIFE

Portugal has placed 21st out of 85 countries for quality of life in the 2026 Best Countries Index, putting it comfortably inside the global top 25. The ranking, produced by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with the marketing group WPP, sits Portugal just behind Spain (19th) and ahead of Italy (25th) and the United States (27th).

The quality-of-life score rewards the things Portugal reliably does well: safety, healthcare, a good education system, political stability and family friendliness. Sweden topped the category, followed by Denmark and Canada, with Switzerland, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Belgium rounding out the top ten. Europe dominated overall, taking 20 of the top 30 places.

The study is perception-based, drawn from surveys of more than 15,000 adults worldwide, and it looked at 85 countries representing 93% of global GDP. Beyond quality of life, Portugal came 26th overall, 20th for cultural influence, and 42nd in the "Movers" category, which tracks countries seen as rising or dynamic. What lifts a country up this particular list is a reputation for reliable institutions, accessible healthcare, high safety and social trust, and it is exactly there that some bigger economies slipped. The United States finished last among all G7 nations for quality of life, weighed down by perceptions of safety and instability, which is how a country Portugal's size ends up sitting six places above it.

There is a familiar catch, though, and long-time readers will recognise it. These headline rankings measure what makes Portugal a wonderful place to be, and consistently understate what makes it a hard place to build a life. The InterNations Expat Insider survey last month made the contradiction explicit: Portugal ranked 8th of 31 for quality of life but 29th for working abroad and dead last for career prospects. Wages remain low, housing is now rising in price faster than anywhere else in the world, and the professional side of life lags well behind the lifestyle side.

So take the good news for what it is. Portugal is, by the measures these indices use, one of the most pleasant countries on earth to live in: safe, stable, healthy and welcoming. Whether it is an easy country to earn a living in is a different question, and one these rankings are not really built to answer.

Bottom line: 21st in the world for quality of life is a genuine and deserved result. Just remember that quality of life and cost of living are not the same thing, and Portugal scores far better on the first than the second.

⚡ QUICK HITS

The Socialists say the government is raking in more than a billion euros from higher fuel prices. The opposition PS claims the state has collected over €1 billion in extra tax revenue as fuel costs have climbed, because VAT is charged as a percentage of the price: when fuel gets more expensive, the government's cut grows automatically. The party is calling for the ISP fuel tax to be adjusted to hand that windfall back to drivers. The government rejects the framing. The row lands just as fuel prices hit record highs this week, with diesel around €2.17 a litre.

Car sales in Portugal jumped in August, and electric vehicles topped a quarter of the market. New car registrations rose sharply year on year, with fully electric cars accounting for more than 25% of all sales for the first time in an August, according to the car trade association ACAP. Government incentives, a wider range of affordable models, and expanding charging infrastructure are all feeding the shift. Portugal is now running ahead of the EU average on electric-vehicle adoption, a notable turn for a country that was slow to start.

What's the deal with Jerry Seinfeld and a Lisbon comedy festival? A growing number of Portuguese comedians have pulled out of Lisbon's inaugural Commedia a La Carte Fest (29 October to 1 November) over the inclusion of Jerry Seinfeld, who headlines at the MEO Arena on 1 November. Seinfeld has been a vocal supporter of Israel since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, and acts including Inês Aires Pereira, the duo Cebola Mol, Pedro Tochas and Carolina Deslandes have withdrawn, with Pereira saying she could not "relativise or normalise a genocide." None named Seinfeld directly, but all pointed to the war in Gaza. The festival, which also features Herman José and Clarice Falcão, has not commented on the withdrawals.

Romance scams, sextortion, fake tech support, malware, phishing… criminals use dozens of tactics to steal your identity and money. A single breach exposes your personal data to fraudsters worldwide.

Coveron provides comprehensive identity theft protection that works before damage happens. Our advanced monitoring detects suspicious activity instantly, alerts you with clear guidance, and connects you with dedicated 24/7 case managers.

Whether it's credit card fraud, stolen accounts, or legal recovery support, Coveron has you covered with:

Stop reacting to fraud. One scam can cost you everything - protect yourself now. The first 100 users get 20% off with code beehiivenewsletter or by clicking this link.

Secure your identity today

_{30-day money-back guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.}

A quick note: today's ad comes from one of our network partners, Coveron. Partnerships like this one are what keep The Lisbon Letter free to read every morning, and we thank them for it.

🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

RAMEN CHEF ROSSIO (ROSSIO)

Ramen Chef sits right by the Teatro D. Maria II at Rossio, inside the Station8 food court, and the pitch is simple: you build your own bowl. You pick the broth, the noodles, the protein and the toppings, and watch it come together in front of you. It has become one of the most talked-about ramen spots in the city, with a near-perfect rating across thousands of reviews.

The room is the other half of the appeal: neon-drenched, anime-plastered and a little bit Blade Runner, with a robot that trundles dishes out to the tables alongside the staff. The kids will be transfixed and, if you are honest, so will you. Beyond the build-your-own ramen there is a proper spread of Japanese street food, the karaage fried chicken, takoyaki octopus balls and the duck bao all get singled out, plus gyozas, donburi rice bowls and genuine vegetarian and vegan options. A meal runs around €18 a head.

Worth knowing before you go: it is a loud, busy, family-friendly food-court restaurant rather than a quiet dinner spot, and it gets packed. It is open every day, from midday to around 11pm, later at weekends, and it takes bookings, which is worth doing at peak times.

→ Find them here ←

Insider tip: if it is your first time, do not overthink the build. Go tonkotsu broth, wheat noodles and chashu pork for the classic, then experiment on the second visit once you know what you like.

📅 WHAT'S ON

See you tomorrow morning.

Reach Lisbon's English-speaking community, every morning. Advertise.