Demographics of Portugal
Population pyramid of Portugal as of 2023
PopulationIncrease 10,467,366 (2022)
Growth rate0.4% (2022)
Birth rate8.0 births/1,000 population (2022)
Death rate11.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022)
Life expectancy81.0 years (2022)
 • male78.1 years (2022)
 • female83.5 years (2022)
Fertility rateIncrease 1.43 children (2022)
Infant mortality rate2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2022)
Net migration rate8.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022)
Age structure
0–14 years12.91% (2022)
15–64 years63.13% (2022)
65 and over23.96% (2022)
Sex ratio
Total0.9 male(s)/female (2022)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female (2022)
Nationality
NationalityPortuguese
Major ethnicPortuguese
Language
OfficialPortuguese

Demographic features of the population of Portugal include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

As of 31 December 2022, Portugal had an estimated population of 10,467,366 inhabitants.[1] Its population density, at 113.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (294/sq mi), is slightly higher than that of most EU countries, moderately surpassing the EU average of 108.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (282/sq mi).[2][3] However, the distribution of the population is widely uneven; the most densely populated areas are the Lisbon metropolitan area (which contains well above a quarter of the country's population), the metropolitan areas of Porto and the Atlantic coast, while other vast areas are very sparsely populated, like the plateaus of Alentejo, the Trás-os-Montes and Serra da Estrela highlands, and the lesser islands of the Azores archipelago.

The population of the country almost doubled during the twentieth century (+91%), but the pattern of growth was extremely uneven due to large-scale internal migration from the rural North to the industrial cities of Lisbon and Porto, a phenomenon which happened as a consequence of the robust economic growth and structural modernisation, owing to a liberalisation of the economy of the 1960s.

High fertility and birth rates persisted until the 1980s, after which they started to dramatically decline, leading to rapid population aging. At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, almost one in five Portuguese was over 65 years old.[4] Lately, Portugal has been experiencing a short growth in birth rates. The total fertility rate has climbed from an all-time low of 1.21 children per woman in 2013 to 1.43 in 2022, still well below replacement level.

Due to decrease in emigration and increase in immigration in the late 1990s and early 2000s the total population reached its peak in December 2009, standing at 10,573,479. Since then, due to the 2008 financial crisis, immigration (that was- in some years - surpassed by emigration) could not offset a shrinking population size, mainly due to the low birthrate but, also due to aging, the rising mortality. After having decreased by 2.27% by 2018, the total Population of Portugal started to grow again, mainly sustained by growing immigration and slightly increasing birth rates.[5][6]

Portugal is a fairly linguistically and religiously homogeneous country. Ethnically, the Portuguese people form a big majority of the total population in Portugal. The Portuguese people are mainly a combination of ancient paleolithic populations, and the proto-Celtic, Celtic and Iberian tribes, para-Celtic Lusitanians. Some other groups, like the Romans, Germanic (Visigoths, Suevi, Buri, Alans and Vandals) and later the Moorish (Arabs and Berber), Sephardic Jewish, and the French also passed through the country.

Today, Brazilians, Britons, Indians, Italians, French, Ukrainians, Nepalis and countries members of PALOP (Portuguese-speaking African countries) are the main immigrants and form the major foreign communities in the country.[7][8]

Portuguese is spoken throughout the country, with only some villages near the northern municipality of Miranda do Douro speaking Mirandese, locally recognised as a co-official language.

Total fertility rate from 1850 to 1899

Population pyramid from 1950 to 2020

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.[9]

Years 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860[9]
Total Fertility Rate in Portugal 4.5 4.47 4.44 4.41 4.38 4.35 4.33 4.3 4.27 4.24 4.21
Years 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870[9]
Total Fertility Rate in Portugal 4.18 4.15 4.12 4.09 4.1 4.11 4.12 4.14 4.15 4.16
Years 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880[9]
Total Fertility Rate in Portugal 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.2 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.23 4.22
Years 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890[9]
Total Fertility Rate in Portugal 4.91 4.19 4.18 4.17 4.16 4.15 4.38 4.3 4.38 4.24
Years 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899[9]
Total Fertility Rate in Portugal 4.16 4.06 4.15 3.86 3.9 3.9 3.95 3.93 3.89
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

[10]

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Vital statistics since 1900

[11][12]
[13][14][15] 		Average population (December 31) Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration change (per 1000) Total fertility rates[fn 1][9][16][17][18]
1900 5,410,000 165,245 110,330 54,915 30.5 20.3 10.2 3.96
1901 5,460,000 170,773 114,130 56,643 31.3 20.9 10.4 -1.2 4.07
1902 5,490,000 176,029 108,378 67,651 32.0 19.7 12.4 -6.9 4.16
1903 5,560,000 183,138 111,685 71,453 33.0 20.1 12.9 -0.1 4.29
1904 5,600,000 176,726 105,572 71,154 31.6 18.9 12.7 -5.5 4.11
1905 5,660,000 179,746 112,756 66,990 31.8 20.0 11.8 -1.1 4.13
1906 5,690,000 182,920 125,243 57,677 32.1 22.0 10.1 -4.8 4.17
1907 5,730,000 176,417 113,254 63,163 30.7 19.7 11.0 -4.0 3.99
1908 5,790,000 175,268 115,876 59,392 30.3 20.0 10.2 0.3 3.94
1909 5,850,000 174,753 112,421 62,332 29.9 19.2 10.8 -0.3 3.89
1910 5,890,000 186,953 113,161 73,792 31.7 19.2 12.5 -5.7 4.12
1911 5,960,000 230,033 130,900 99,133 38.6 22.0 16.6 -4.7 5.02
1912 5,960,000 207,870 119,578 88,292 34.9 20.1 14.8 -14.8 4.54
1913 5,970,000 193,906 123,054 70,852 32.5 20.6 11.9 -10.2 4.22
1914 5,980,000 188,479 115,526 72,953 31.5 19.3 12.0 -10.3 4.09
1915 5,990,000 195,225 122,513 72,712 32.6 20.5 12.0 -10.3 4.24
1916 6,000,000 192,780 129,389 63,391 32.1 21.6 10.7 -9.0 4.17
1917 6,000,000 188,391 134,082 54,309 31.4 22.3 9.1 -9.1 4.08
1918 6,020,000 178,687 248,978 -70,291 29.7 41.4 -11.6 14.9 3.86
1919 6,020,000 166,162 152,856 13,306 27.6 25.4 2.2 -2.2 3.59
1920 6,040,000 202,908 142,862 60,046 33.6 23.7 9.9 -6.6 4.37
1921 6,070,000 197,022 126,316 70,706 32.4 20.8 11.7 -6.7 4.21
1922 6,170,000 203,727 125,747 77,980 33.1 20.4 12.6 3.9 4.3
1923 6,240,000 207,172 141,775 65,397 33.2 22.7 10.5 0.8 4.32
1924 6,310,000 207,440 126,052 81,388 32.8 20.0 12.8 -1.6 4.26
1925 6,370,000 208,434 117,413 91,021 32.6 18.4 14.3 -4.8 4.24
1926 6,470,000 214,633 127,959 86,674 33.5 19.8 13.4 2.3 4.36
1927 6,550,000 199,399 123,382 76,017 31.0 18.8 11.6 0.8 4.03
1928 6,620,000 211,314 124,088 87,226 31.9 18.7 13.2 -2.5 4.15
1929 6,720,000 200,874 118,824 82,050 29.9 17.7 12.2 2.9 3.89
1930 6,804,000 202,529 116,352 86,177 29.7 17.1 12.7 -0.2 3.86
1931 6,860,000 204,120 115,225 88,895 29.7 16.8 13.0 -4.8 3.86
1932 6,968,000 208,062 118,895 89,167 29.9 17.1 12.8 2.9 3.89
1933 7,057,000 204,315 120,996 83,319 28.9 17.2 11.8 1.0 3.88
1934 7,147,000 203,158 118,539 84,619 28.4 16.6 11.8 1.0 3.74
1935 7,237,000 203,943 123,051 80,892 28.2 17.0 11.2 1.4 3.59
1936 7,326,000 205,615 119,003 86,612 28.1 16.2 11.8 0.5 3.45
1937 7,416,000 198,217 117,291 80,926 26.7 15.8 10.9 1.4 3.39
1938 7,506,000 199,467 115,331 84,136 26.6 15.4 11.2 0.9 3.34
1939 7,595,000 198,888 116,075 82,813 26.2 15.3 10.9 1.0 3.28
1940 7,696,000 187,892 120,486 67,406 24.4 15.7 8.8 4.5 3.22
1941 7,750,000 184,336 134,937 49,399 23.8 17.4 6.4 0.6 3.12
1942 7,810,000 187,503 126,531 60,972 24.0 16.1 7.8 -0.1 3.14
1943 7,890,000 198,101 121,887 76,214 25.1 15.3 9.7 0.5 3.27
1944 7,960,000 201,373 119,275 82,098 25.3 14.8 10.3 -1.4 3.28
1945 8,040,000 209,131 115,596 93,535 26.0 14.2 11.6 -1.5 3.39
1946 8,100,000 205,825 120,800 85,025 25.4 14.9 10.5 -3.0 3.29
1947 8,180,000 200,488 110,437 90,051 24.5 13.5 11.0 -1.1 3.14
1948 8,262,000 220,981 107,576 113,405 26.7 13.0 13.7 -3.7 3.42
1949 8,333,000 212,260 117,499 94,761 25.5 14.1 11.4 -2.8 3.23
1950 8,405,000 205,163 102,798 102,365 24.4 12.2 12.2 -3.6 3.1
1951 8,459,000 207,870 105,473 102,397 24.6 12.5 12.1 -5.7 3.1
1952 8,496,000 211,213 100,486 110,727 24.9 11.8 13.0 -8.6 3.1
1953 8,534,000 202,135 97,460 104,675 23.7 11.4 12.3 -7.8 3.1
1954 8,570,000 197,536 95,088 102,448 23.0 11.1 12.0 -7.8 3.1
1955 8,610,000 209,790 99,472 110,318 24.4 11.6 12.8 -8.1 3.1
1956 8,647,000 202,667 106,919 95,748 23.4 12.4 11.1 -6.8 3.11
1957 8,680,000 211,494 101,784 109,710 24.4 11.7 12.6 -8.8 3.12
1958 8,725,000 212,467 91,891 120,576 24.4 10.5 13.8 -8.6 3.13
1959 8,826,000 213,062 97,754 115,308 24.3 11.1 13.1 -1.5 3.15
1960 8,865,000 213,895 95,009 118,886 23.9 10.6 13.3 8.9 3.16
1961 8,929,000 217,516 99,590 117,926 24.3 11.1 13.2 -6.0 3.18
1962 8,994,000 220,200 96,864 123,336 24.4 10.7 13.7 -6.4 3.18
1963 9,031,000 212,152 98,011 114,141 23.4 10.8 12.6 -8.5 3.19
1964 9,034,000 217,136 96,878 120,258 23.8 10.6 13.2 -12.9 3.19
1965 8,999,000 210,299 95,187 115,112 23.0 10.4 12.6 -16.5 3.18
1966 8,931,000 206,940 100,088 106,852 22.7 11.0 12 -19.6 3.16
1967 8,875,000 202,061 95,816 106,245 22.2 10.5 11.7 -18.0 3.13
1968 8,837,000 194,962 94,661 100,301 21.4 10.4 11.0 -15.3 3.09
1969 8,758,000 189,739 101,088 88,651 20.9 11.1 9.7 -18.6 3.05
1970 8,663,252 180,690 92,854 87,836 20.9 10.7 10.1 -20.9 2.99
1971 8,624,258 181,243 98,355 82,888 21.0 11.4 9.6 -14.1 2.99
1972 8,636,603 174,685 90,025 84,660 20.2 10.4 9.8 -8.4 2.85
1973 8,629,598 172,324 95,239 77,085 20.0 11.0 8.9 -9.7 2.76
1974 8,879,127 171,979 96,837 75,142 19.4 10.9 8.5 20.2 2.69
1975 9,307,815 179,648 97,750 81,898 19.3 10.5 8.8 39.5 2.75
1976 9,403,809 186,712 101,843 84,869 19.9 10.8 9.0 1.3 2.81
1977 9,507,536 181,064 95,917 85,147 19.0 10.1 9.0 2.0 2.68
1978 9,608,959 167,467 96,042 71,425 17.4 10.0 7.4 3.3 2.45
1979 9,713,570 160,311 92,566 67,745 16.5 9.5 7.0 3.9 2.31
1980 9,818,980 158,309 94,794 63,515 16.1 9.7 6.5 4.4 2.25
1981 9,883,670 152,071 95,728 56,343 15.4 9.7 5.7 0.9 2.13
1982 9,939,871 151,002 92,379 58,623 15.2 9.3 5.9 -0.2 2.08
1983 9,975,859 144,296 96,179 48,117 14.5 9.6 4.8 -1.2 1.96
1984 10,016,605 142,783 96,975 45,808 14.3 9.7 4.6 -0.5 1.91
1985 10,030,621 130,450 97,085 33,365 13.0 9.7 3.3 -1.9 1.73
1986 10,034,846 126,715 95,521 31,194 12.6 9.5 3.1 -2.7 1.67
1987 10,025,215 123,179 95,102 28,077 12.3 9.5 2.8 -3.8 1.63
1988 10,014,005 122,093 97,844 24,249 12.2 9.8 2.4 -3.5 1.62
1989 9,995,995 118,483 95,743 22,740 11.9 9.6 2.3 -4.1 1.58
1990 9,970,441 116,321 102,768 13,553 11.7 10.3 1.4 -4.0 1.57
1991 9,950,029 116,299 103,882 12,417 11.7 10.4 1.2 -3.2 1.56
1992 9,954,958 114,924 100,638 14,286 11.5 10.1 1.4 -0.9 1.54
1993 9,974,391 113,960 105,950 8,010 11.4 10.6 0.8 1.2 1.52
1994 10,008,659 109,227 99,232 9,995 10.9 9.9 1.0 2.4 1.45
1995 10,043,693 107,097 103,475 3,622 10.7 10.3 0.4 3.1 1.41
1996 10,084,196 110,261 106,881 3,380 10.9 10.6 0.3 3.7 1.45
1997 10,133,758 112,933 104,778 8,155 11.1 10.3 0.8 4.1 1.47
1998 10,186,634 113,384 106,198 7,186 11.1 10.4 0.7 4.5 1.48
1999 10,249,022 116,002 107,871 8,131 11.3 10.5 0.8 5.3 1.51
2000 10,330,774 120,008 105,364 14,644 11.6 10.2 1.4 6.6 1.55
2001 10,394,669 112,774 105,092 7,682 10.8 10.1 0.7 5.5 1.45
2002 10,444,592 114,383 106,258 8,125 11.0 10.2 0.8 4.0 1.47
2003 10,473,050 112,515 108,795 3,720 10.7 10.4 0.4 2.3 1.44
2004 10,494,672 109,298 102,012 7,286 10.4 9.7 0.7 1.4 1.41
2005 10,511,988 109,399 107,464 1,935 10.4 10.2 0.2 1.4 1.42
2006 10,532,588 105,449 101,990 3,459 10.0 9.7 0.3 1.7 1.38
2007 10,553,339 102,492 103,512 -1,020 9.7 9.8 -0.1 2.1 1.35
2008 10,563,014 104,594 104,280 314 9.9 9.9 0.0 0.8 1.40
2009 10,573,479 99,491 104,434 -4,943 9.4 9.9 -0.5 1.5 1.35
2010 10,572,721 101,381 105,954 -4,573 9.6 10.0 -0.4 0.3 1.39
2011 10,558,950 96,856 102,848 -5,992 9.2 9.8 -0.6 -0.7 1.35
2012 10,503,889 89,841 107,612 -17,771 8.6 10.3 -1.7 -3.5 1.28
2013 10,444,092 82,787 106,554 -23,767 7.9 10.2 -2.3 -3.4 1.21
2014 10,395,121 82,367 104,843 -22,476 7.9 10.1 -2.2 -2.5 1.23
2015 10,368,554 85,500 108,539 -23,039 8.3 10.5 -2.2 -0.4 1.30
2016 10,344,478 87,126 110,573 -23,447 8.5 10.7 -2.3 0 1.36
2017 10,335,770 86,154 109,758 -23,604 8.4 10.7 -2.3 1.5 1.37
2018 10,333,496 87,020 113,051 -26,031 8.5 11.0 -2.5 2.3 1.41
2019 10,375,395 86,579 111,843 -25,264 8.4 10.9 -2.4 6.5 1.42
2020 10,394,297 84,530 123,396 -38,866 8.2 12.0 -3.8 5.6 1.40
2021 10,421,117 79,582 124,841 -45,220 7.7 12.1 -4.4 7.0 1.34
2022 10,467,366 83,671 124,311 -40,640 8.0 11.9 -3.9 8.3 1.43
2023 85,909 117,222 -31,313

Current vital statistics

[19][20]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January 2023 7,204 11,947 -4,721
January 2024 7,044 13,454 -6,398
Difference Decrease -160 (-2.22%) Negative increase +1,507 (+12.61%) Decrease -1,677

Structure of the population

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 19.IV.2021): [21]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 4 920 220 5 422 846 10 343 066 100.00
0–4 208 689 198 905 407 594 3.94
5–9 221 992 210 702 432 694 4.18
10–14 251 563 239 337 490 900 4.75
15–19 270 711 257 479 528 190 5.11
20–24 285 462 274 435 559 897 5.41
25–29 273 438 268 423 541 861 5.24
30–34 278 300 282 785 561 085 5.42
35–39 313 475 331 757 645 232 6.24
40–44 364 509 393 113 757 622 7.32
45–49 382 137 415 656 797 793 7.71
50–54 356 341 392 588 748 929 7.24
55–59 348 875 394 413 743 288 7.19
60–64 327 940 376 402 704 342 6.81
65–69 302 342 351 752 654 094 6.32
70–74 267 952 321 980 589 932 5.70
75–79 202 153 264 483 466 636 4.51
80–84 146 239 213 752 359 991 3.48
85+ 118 102 234 884 352 986 3.41
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 682 244 648 944 1 331 188 12.87
15–64 3 201 188 3 387 051 6 588 239 63.70
65+ 1 036 788 1 386 851 2 423 639 23.43

Maps

Other demographic statistics

Population Census
YearPop.±% p.a.
1300 800,000—    
1422 1,043,274+0.22%
1527 1,262,376+0.18%
1636 1,100,000−0.13%
1736 2,143,368+0.67%
1770 2,850,444+0.84%
1776 3,352,310+2.74%
1801 2,931,930−0.53%
1811 2,876,602−0.19%
1838 3,200,000+0.40%
1849 3,411,454+0.58%
1864 4,188,419+1.38%
1878 4,550,699+0.59%
1890 5,049,729+0.87%
1900 5,423,132+0.72%
1911 5,969,056+0.88%
1920 6,032,991+0.12%
1930 6,825,883+1.24%
1940 7,722,152+1.24%
1950 8,510,240+0.98%
1960 8,851,240+0.39%
1970 8,648,369−0.23%
1981 9,833,041+1.17%
1991 9,862,540+0.03%
2001 10,356,117+0.49%
2011 10,562,178+0.20%
2021 10,343,066−0.21%
Source: INE 2021[22][23][24][25] [fn 2]
Historical population of Portugal

The following demographic statistics are from the World Population Review.[26]

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[18]

Total population
10,467,366 (2022 official INE estimate)[27]
Age structure of the resident population
2022 official INE estimate:[28]
0-14 years: 12.91% (male 692,144 /female 658,867)
15-64 years: 63.13% (male 3,229,174 /female 3,379,259)
65 years and over: 23.96% (male 1,080,493 /female 1,427,429)
Median age
total: 46.8 years (2022 official Eurostat data)[29][30]
male: 45.1 years
female: 48.3 years
Birth rate
8.00 births/1,000 population (2022 official INE estimate)[31]
Death rate
11.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022 official INE estimate)[32]
Total fertility rate
1.43 children born/woman (2022 official INE estimate)[33]
Net migration rate
8.30 net migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 official INE estimate)[34][35]
Population growth rate
+ 0.44 % (2022 official INE estimate)[28]
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.8 years (2022 official INE estimate)[28]
Life expectancy at birth
Life expectancy in Portugal since 1940
Life expectancy in Portugal since 1960 by gender
Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 60.3 1985–1990 Increase74.0
1955–1960 Increase62.4 1990–1995 Increase74.9
1960–1965 Increase64.5 1995–2000 Increase76.0
1965–1970 Increase66.4 2000–2005 Increase77.6
1970–1975 Increase68.3 2005–2010 Increase79.3
1975–1980 Increase70.4 2010–2015 Increase80.5
1980–1985 Increase72.5 2015-2019 Increase82.0

Source: UN World Population Prospects[36]

Infant mortality rate
total: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births. Country comparison to the world: 216th
male: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 official INE estimate)[37]
Infant mortality rate
Years[38] 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2005 2007 2008 2009
Deaths/1,000 live births 5.5 5.0 5.0 4.1 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.6
Years 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Deaths/1,000 live births 2.5 3.1 3.4 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.3 2.9
Years 2020 2021 2022
Deaths/1,000 live births 2.4 2.4 2.6
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 55.8
youth dependency ratio: 20.3
elderly dependency ratio: 35.5
potential support ratio: 2.8 (2020 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 67.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female[39]
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female[40]
15–64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.90 male(s)/female[41] (2022 official INE estimate)

Employment and income

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
total: 23.1%. Country comparison to the world: 66th
male: 20.6%
female: 26.2% (2021 est.)

Urban organization

Metropolitan areas and agglomerations

The 25 most and the 25 least populated municipalities of Portugal. The metropolitan areas of Lisbon, Porto and Minho are visible.

As of 2001 Census, Portugal had two significant agglomerations: Lisbon Metropolitan Region (3.34 million inhabitants) and Northern Littoral Urban-Metropolitan Region (or Porto Metropolitan Agglomeration) with 2.99 million people, the later with a polycentric nature.[42] These broader agglomerations are distinct from the political metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto – Grande Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (2,9 million) and Grande Área Metropolitana do Porto (1,7 million). Together they hold 45% of the total population.

Image City Metropolitan area Subregion Core municipality
Lisbon 2,870,208 [43] 1,975,791[43] 545,796[43]
Porto 1,736,228[43] 1,278,210[43] 231,800[43]

Largest urban areas

When considering the number of inhabitants in consistent single urban areas, de facto cities in mainland Portugal, per the new with increased density of human-created structures, and excluding suburban and rural areas, Portugal has two cities with about one million inhabitants each (Lisbon and Porto), ten others with more than 50,000 inhabitants and 14 cities with populations between 20,000 and 40,000 inhabitants.[42]

Largest cities

Portugal has 151 localities with national city status (cidade). Every city is included into a municipality (município). This is a list of population by city, which means that it refers to the number of inhabitants in the city proper, excluding inhabitants from the same municipality but living outside the urban area of the city in other civil parishes (freguesias) of the municipality. In some cases, the entire municipality and the city proper cover the same territory.[44][45]

Lisbon aqueduct
Capela das Almas, in Porto
Vila Nova de Gaia view
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga
Rank City name Population Metropolitan area Subregion
1 Lisbon 548,703 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
2 Porto 240,592 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
3 Vila Nova de Gaia 188,421 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
4 Amadora 174,511 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
5 Braga 146,543 Greater Metropolitan Area of Minho Cávado
6 Coimbra 106,655 Greater Metropolitan Area of Coimbra Baixo Mondego
7 Funchal 106,429 Madeira
8 Setúbal 98,470 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Península de Setúbal
9 Almada 85,851 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Península de Setúbal
10 Agualva-Cacém 81,006 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
11 Queluz 73,047 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
12 Rio Tinto 65,469 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
13 Barreiro 62,860 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Península de Setúbal
14 Aveiro 62,130 Baixo Vouga
15 Viseu 60,570 Dão-Lafões
16 Odivelas 58,170 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
17 Guimarães 54,750 Ave
18 Leiria 54,540 Pinhal Litoral
19 Faro 49,360 Algarve
20 Matosinhos 49,034 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
21 Loures 46,246 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Grande Lisboa
22 Portimão 43,810 Algarve
23 Póvoa de Varzim 41,206 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
24 Amora 41,140 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Península de Setúbal
25 Maia 40,534 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto
26 Évora 40,373 Alentejo Central
27 Montijo 40,130 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon Península de Setúbal
28 Ponta Delgada 40,050 Açores
29 Santa Maria da Feira 39,576 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Entre Douro e Vouga
30 Ermesinde 38,570 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto Grande Porto

Largest municipalities by population

The following table lists the largest Portuguese municipalities by population as of 2022. The land area is expressed in km2 and only municipalities with populations of over 100,000 inhabitants are listed.[2]

The 25 listed municipalities account for 45.05% of the country's population and for only 5.06% of its total land area.[46]

Population density of Portugal, per km2:
  0–49
  50–99
  100–299
  300–599
  600+
View of residential building in Amadora, one of the most densely populated municipalities in Portugal and more densely populated than Hong Kong
Rank Municipality Population Land Area Density Metropolitan area
1 Lisbon 548,703 100.05 5,484 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
2 Sintra 388,767 319.23 1,218 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
3 Vila Nova de Gaia 307,563 168.46 1,826 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
4 Porto 240,592 41.42 5,809 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
5 Cascais 213,928 97.4 2,196 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
6 Loures 203,724 167.24 1,218 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
7 Braga 197,594 183.4 1,077
8 Almada 178,254 70.01 2,546 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
9 Matosinhos 176,617 62.42 2,829 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
10 Amadora 174,511 23.78 7,339 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
11 Oeiras 172,742 45.88 3,765 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
12 Seixal 169,797 95.45 1,779 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
13 Gondomar 166,900 131.92 1,265 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
14 Guimarães 156,277 241 648
15 Odivelas 150,366 26.54 5,666 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
16 Coimbra 142,252 319.4 445
17 Maia 140,041 82.94 1,688 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
18 Santa Maria da Feira 138,344 215.88 641 Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto
19 Vila Franca de Xira 137,994 318.19 434 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
20 Vila Nova de Famalicão 134,883 201.59 669
21 Leiria 130,605 565.09 231
22 Setúbal 122,547 230.33 532 Greater Metropolitan Area of Lisbon
23 Barcelos 116,493 378.9 307
24 Funchal 106,429 76.22 1,396
25 Viseu 100,105 507.1 197

People

Main article: Portuguese people

Nationality

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective: Portuguese

Immigration

Main article: Immigration to Portugal
Portuguese and foreign born population pyramid in 2021

In 1992, 1.3% of the population was foreign, by 2022 the number had grown to almost 7,47% or 781,915 people.[47]

Since the independence of the former African colonies, Portugal saw a steady immigration from Africa, most notably Cape Verde, Angola and Guinea-Bissau, but also São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique and former Portuguese India in Asia.

Portugal saw migration waves due to labor shortages since 1999, first from Eastern Europe (1999–2002), in two distinctive groups, a Slav (Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria) and an East Latin (Romania and Moldova), that stopped and started declining as the labour market became saturated.

Since 2003, most of the immigrants came from Brazil, China and the Indian subcontinent. Family reunification was seen as important for a successful integration in the country, thus the government eased it, and in 2006, more than 6 in 10 new immigrants were family members of legal foreign residents in the country.[48]

There is also a significant number of elderly Western European residents in search of quality of life, namely from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

More recently, there is significant migration from the former Portuguese colony of Brazil, as since 2017 more than 30,000 Brazilians immigrate to Portugal annually.

Below is a summary table of the main foreign nationalities present in Portugal according to the latest SEFSTAT data.[47] As of December 31, 2022, there were 781,247 legally resident people in Portugal with foreign citizenship (about 7.47% of the population). These include both citizens born in Portugal with foreign citizenship and foreign immigrants. Descendants of immigrants are excluded (Portugal, like many European countries, does not collect data on ethnicity) and those who, regardless of place of birth or citizenship at birth, were Portuguese citizens (see also Portuguese nationality law). Among the latter are also naturalized citizens whose data are reported in the next table.

Largest groups of foreign residents as of 01.01.2023
Nationality Population[47]
 Brazil 239,744
 United Kingdom 45,218
 Cape Verde 36,748
 India 35,416
European Union Italy 34,039
 Angola 31,761
European Union France 27,512
 Ukraine 25,445
   Nepal 23,839
 Guinea-Bissau 23,737
European Union Romania 23,393
 China 22,000
European Union Germany 20,500
European Union Spain 19,508
 Bangladesh 16,468
 São Tomé and Príncipe 13,077
European Union Netherlands 12,066
 Pakistan 10,828
 United States 9,794
 Venezuela 8,936
European Union Belgium 6,088
 Russia 6,075
European Union Sweden 5,653
 Moldova 5,243
European Union Bulgaria 5,139
 Mozambique 4,785
European Union Poland 4,326
European Union Ireland 4,159
  Switzerland 3,501
 Morocco 2,575
 South Africa 2,162
 Colombia 2,135
 Senegal 2,014
 Thailand 1,977
European Union Austria 1,643
 Canada 1,624
European Union Denmark 1,583
 Cuba 1,483
 Iran 1,431
 Turkey 1,367
 Uzbekistan 1,297
European Union Hungary 1,230
European Union Finland 1,210
 Philippines 1,208
 Syria 1,193
 Guinea 1,182
 Norway 1,086
 Argentina 1,079
 Nigeria 1,050
 Algeria 1,015
European Union Lithuania 1,006
Other countries (below 1,000) 24,001
Foreign-born naturalised citizens in Portugal by 2020.

Below is a summary table of Portuguese citizenship acquisitions recorded between 2008 and 2022 for countries having recorded at least 1,000 naturalizations during the given timespan. During this period, 342,458 people (3.27% of the current Portuguese population) obtained Portuguese citizenship according to the latest Eurostat data. These people are not counted among foreigners (see above table) as they are Portuguese citizens in all respects.[49]

Nationality Acquisitions of Citizenship

(2008–2022)[50][51]

 Brazil 89,713
 Cape Verde 55,109
 Ukraine 32,722
 Guinea-Bissau 27,043
 Angola 25,805
 Moldova 19,212
 São Tomé and Príncipe 14,990
 India 12,202
European Union Romania 6,922
   Nepal 6,473
 Russia 5,540
 Pakistan 5,288
 Bangladesh 4,951
 Guinea 3,682
 Mozambique 2,974
 Venezuela 2,579
 Israel 2,494
 Morocco 2,332
 Senegal 2,275
 China 1,885
European Union Bulgaria 1,117
 Georgia 1,069
 United Kingdom 1,055
Other countries (below 1,000) 15,026

Ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities

See also: Immigration to Portugal, Racism in Portugal, and Romani people in Portugal

Portugal does not collect ethnicity or racial data of its population.[52]

Anti-racism laws prohibit and penalize racial discrimination in housing, business, and health services.

Discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, or the provision of other state services is illegal. The law mandates access to public buildings and to newly built private buildings for such persons.

Languages

Main article: Portuguese language
Portuguese newspapers in Soure

The main language spoken as first language by the overwhelming majority of the population is Portuguese.[53] Other autochthonous languages spoken include:

Religion

Main articles: Religion in Portugal, Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelical Church, and Our Lady of Fátima

Religion in Portugal (Census 2021)[63]

  Roman Catholicism (80.20%)
  Protestantism (2.13%)
  Jehovah's Witnesses (0.72%)
  Eastern Orthodoxy (0.69%)
  Other Christian (1.04%)
  Islam (0.42%)
  Hinduism (0.22%)
  Buddhism (0.19%)
  Judaism (0.03%)
  Other religion (0.28%)
  No religion (14.09%)
Russian Orthodox church in Portugal

The great majority of the Portuguese population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Religious observance remains strong in northern areas, while the population of Lisbon and southern areas generally less devout.

Religious minorities include a little over 400,000 Protestants and Mormons[64][65][66] (3.84% of the total population).

There are also about 100,000 Muslims[67] (1%) and 45,000 Hindus[68][69][70] (0.43%), most of whom came from Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India (Some Muslims also came from former two Portuguese African colonies with important Muslim minorities: Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique).

There are also about 1,500 Jews,[71] 2,000 Baha'i[72] and 35,000 Sikh[68] (0.34%)

Portugal is also home to about 17,000 Buddhists,[73] mostly Chinese from Macau and a few Indians from Goa.

Portugal is still one of the most religious countries in Europe, most Portuguese believe with certainty in the Existence of God and religion plays an important role in the life of most Portuguese.[74][75] According to the Pew Research Center, 40% of Portuguese Catholics pray daily.[76]

Religious map of Portuguese municipalities

Religion by municipality according with the 2021 Census.

Percentage of Catholics by municipality.
Percentage of Other Christians by municipality.
Percentage of Other religions (Non-Christians) by municipality.
Percentage of non religious by municipality.

Education

Carolina Michaelis highschool in Cedofeita

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2021 est.)[18]

total population: 95.9%
male: 97.8%
female: 95.9% (2021 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 17 years
male: 17 years
female: 17 years (2020)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In fertility rates, 2.1 and above is a stable population and has been marked blue, 2 and below leads to an aging population and the result is that the population decreases.
  2. ^ 1422, 1527 and 1636 only adult male population.

References

  1. ^ "População residente aumenta mais de 46 mil pessoas - 2022". ine.pt. INE. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Portugal population density".
  3. ^ "Population density across the EU".
  4. ^ "População residente: total e por grupo etário".
  5. ^ "População residente: total e por sexo". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Quase 800 mil estrangeiros vivem em Portugal e 30% são brasileiros". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Max Roser (2014), "Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries", Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation
  10. ^ Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation based average population change (current year minus previous) minus natural change of the current year (see table vital statistics). As average population is an estimate of the population in the middle of the year and not end of the year.
  11. ^ B.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975.
  12. ^ "United Nations. Demographic Yearbook 1948" (PDF). Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Statistics Portugal". Ine.pt. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  14. ^ "PORDATA – População residente: total e por sexo". Pordata.pt. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  15. ^ "População residente (N.º) por Local de residência (NUTS - 2013), Sexo e Grupo etário (Por ciclos de vida); Anual". ine.pt. INE. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  16. ^ "2011 WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET" (PDF). Prb.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  17. ^ "2012 – Negative birth rate decreases further – Portugal – Portuguese American Journal". Portuguese-american-journal.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  18. ^ a b c "World Factbook EUROPE : PORTUGAL", The World Factbook, 12 July 2018
  19. ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  21. ^ "População residente (N.º) por Local de residência (à data dos Censos 2021), Sexo, Grupo etário e Naturalidade; Decenal - INE, Recenseamento da população e habitação - Censos 2021". www.ine.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  22. ^ Nuno Valério (coord.), Estatísticas Históricas Portuguesas, Vol. I, pp. 33, 37 e 51. INE, 2001. (PDF: 4,18 MB)
  23. ^ INE, CENSOS 2021 Censos 2021 - Divulgação dos Resultados Preliminares - 2021, 28 July 2021.
  24. ^ Reilly, Bernard F. (1993). The Medieval Spains. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0521397414. Retrieved 11 October 2019. The new kingdom of Castile had roughly tripled in size to some 335,000 square kilometers by 1300 [...] Portugal swollen to 90,000 square kilometers and perhaps 800,000 inhabitants [...]
  25. ^ INE, Estimativas de População Residente, Portugal, NUTS II, NUTS III e Municípios – 2006, Informação à Comunicação Social, 3 August 2007.
  26. ^ World Population Review: Portugal Population 2018, 14 June 2018
  27. ^ "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  28. ^ a b c "Statistics Portugal - Web Portal". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Idade média: 46,8 anos. População portuguesa é a que mais está a envelhecer na UE". TSF Rádio Notícias (in European Portuguese). 22 February 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Population structure indicators at national level: Median age". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Taxa bruta de natalidade". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  32. ^ "Taxa bruta de mortalidade". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Indicadores de fecundidade: Índice sintético de fecundidade e taxa bruta de reprodução". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  34. ^ "População residente: total e por grupo etário". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Saldos populacionais anuais: saldo total, saldo natural e saldo migratório". www.pordata.pt. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  36. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  37. ^ "Taxa de mortalidade infantil (‰) por Sexo; Anual".
  38. ^ "Taxa bruta de mortalidade e taxa de mortalidade infantil".
  39. ^ "Nados-vivos de mães residentes em Portugal: total e por sexo".
  40. ^ "População residente (N.º) por Local de residência (NUTS - 2013), Sexo e Grupo etário; Anual".
  41. ^ "Relação de masculinidade".
  42. ^ a b Fernando Nunes da Silva (2005), Alta Velocidade em Portugal, Desenvolvimento Regional, CENSUR, IST Archived 24 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ a b c d e f "Definitive Results of the 2021 Census". ine.pt. INE. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  44. ^ UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente – Cidades, 2004 Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
  45. ^ "Portugal: Regions and Cities". CITY POPULATION - statistics, maps & charts. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  46. ^ "População residente (N.º) por Local de residência (NUTS - 2013), Sexo e Grupo etário (Por ciclos de vida); Anual".
  47. ^ a b c https://www.sef.pt/pt/Documents/RIFA2022%20vF2a.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  48. ^ Imigração: Novos imigrantes legais em Portugal aumentaram 50% em 2006 – OCDE Archived 10 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine – RTP.pt
  49. ^ "Eurostat".
  50. ^ "Eurostat".
  51. ^ "Portal do INE". www.ine.pt. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  52. ^ Shendruk, Amanda (8 July 2021). "Are you even trying to stop racism if you don't collect data on race?". Quartz. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  53. ^ Union, Publications Office of the European (20 June 2013). "Europeans and their languages : special Eurobarometer. 386, June 2012". op.europa.eu. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  54. ^ Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de (25 October 2022). "Mais de 95% da etnia cigana em Portugal vive abaixo do limiar da pobreza". Mais de 95% da etnia cigana em Portugal vive abaixo do limiar da pobreza (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  55. ^ Portuguesa, Observatório da Língua (31 July 2021). "A língua mirandesa é língua oficial em Portugal desde 1999". Observatório da Língua Portuguesa (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  56. ^ "Língua Mirandesa". Casa de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro de Lisboa (in European Portuguese). 31 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  57. ^ SAPO. "Têm menos de 20 anos e sentem-se mais livres por falar mirandês". SAPO 24 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  58. ^ Assim se fala o mirandês (in Portuguese), retrieved 11 May 2023
  59. ^ Rodrigues, Elisabete (7 February 2020). "O Barranquenho quer ser a 3ª língua oficial de Portugal". Sul Informação (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  60. ^ "A luta de Vera Ferreira para salvar o minderico". O MIRANTE | A luta de Vera Ferreira para salvar o minderico. (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  61. ^ Vicente, Manuel Fernandes (17 August 2009). "Minderico renasce com apoio da Volkswagen a línguas ameaçadas". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  62. ^ "Língua Gestual Portuguesa (LGP)". Associação Portuguesa de Surdos (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  63. ^ "Censos 2021. Católicos diminuem, mas ainda são mais de 80% dos portugueses". RTP. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  64. ^ Henriques, Joana Gorjão (29 January 2017). "O crescimento discreto dos mórmones em Portugal". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  65. ^ Lusa, Agência. "Aliança Evangélica comemora cem anos e diz haver 400 mil protestantes em Portugal". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  66. ^ "2022 bate recorde de novas igrejas, em especial evangélicas e graças aos cidadãos brasileiros". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 8 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  67. ^ ""A comunidade muçulmana em Portugal dá-nos uma grande tranquilidade na prevenção do terrorismo"". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 20 September 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  68. ^ a b "Uma comunidade indiana em Portugal diversa e dialogante na fé". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 5 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  69. ^ ""Os meus filhos são hindus, portugueses e até rezam a ave-maria"". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 17 October 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  70. ^ "Cerca de 50.000 nepaleses entraram em Portugal nos últimos anos". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 16 March 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  71. ^ "Por que judeus estão voltando a Portugal séculos após antepassados serem expulsos e massacrados". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  72. ^ "Portugal - Bahaipedia, an encyclopedia about the Bahá'í Faith". bahaipedia.org. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  73. ^ "Budismo em Portugal | União Budista". uniaobudista.pt. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  74. ^ Portugueses são mais cristãos e vão mais à igreja do que o resto da Europa ocidental
  75. ^ Portugal é dos países onde mais pessoas garantem que Deus existe
  76. ^ Five Centuries After Reformation, Catholic-Protestant Divide in Western Europe Has Faded Pew Research Center.
Categories