Portugal

Migration and demographic change in Portugal

By the end of 2025, Portugal’s population had reached 11,424,031, an increase of more than one million people compared with four years earlier.

Over the past six decades, the country’s fertility rate has declined dramatically. In 1982, it last reached 2.1 children per woman, the level generally considered necessary for population replacement. By 2014, it had fallen to 1.2, before recovering modestly to 1.4 in 2024.

The recent increase in Portugal’s population is therefore primarily attributable to immigration rather than to natural population growth. However, long-term demographic projections continue to indicate population decline, with the total population expected to decrease to 10.21 million by 2035 and 9.061 million by 2070.

Portugal has evolved from a country of net emigration into a destination for immigrants. By 2024, 1,543,697 foreign residents were officially registered in Portugal. The largest group originated from Brazil (31.4%), reflecting the shared Portuguese language, while sizeable communities also came from Asia (20.2%) and Africa (20.4%), particularly from the former Portuguese colony of Angola.

The pace of new arrivals is expected to slow following the introduction of the 2025 Foreigners’ Law, which imposed tighter restrictions on family reunification and job-seeker visas.