Immigration to Portugal
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 32,057 | — |
| 1980 | 50,750 | +7.96% |
| 1985 | 79,594 | +9.42% |
| 1990 | 107,767 | +6.25% |
| 1995 | 168,316 | +9.33% |
| 2000 | 207,587 | +4.28% |
| 2005 | 274,631 | +5.76% |
| 2010 | 443,055 | +10.04% |
| 2015 | 383,759 | −2.83% |
| 2020 | 666,830 | +11.68% |
| 2024 | 1,543,697 | +23.35% |
| Source: | ||
As of December 2023, Portugal had 1,703,848 foreign residents, out of 10,639,726 total, accounting for 16.01% of its population.
In 2024, AIMA reported that, of the 1,543,697 foreign residents believed to be living in Portugal, 865,881 were registered as male (56.1%), and 677,816 as female (43.9%). 61.1% of foreign citizens lived in Lisbon, Faro or Setúbal districts: these districts account for 35.1% of the country's population. According to the provisional 2024 estimates of the country's population (10,749,635) it means that around 14.36% of those living in Portugal doesn't hold Portuguese citizenship, a share in line with other major European countries such as Spain but above France's or Sweden's share.
As of December 2024, places of origin included: the Americas (36.0%), Europe (23.2%), Africa (20.4%), Asia (20.2%), and Oceania (0.1%). Major countries of origin were Brazil, India, Angola, Ukraine, Cape Verde, Nepal, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Guinea-Bissau, Pakistan, São Tomé and Príncipe, Italy, China, France, Germany and Spain. Brazilians made up the largest group (484,596), followed by Indians (98,616) and Angolans (92,348).
The share of children born in Portugal to foreign resident mothers stood at 21.9% in 2023. The share of children born from foreign-born mothers reached 33% in 2024, up from 25% in 2022.
Immigration is the only reason that the Portuguese population still grows. Foreigners in Portugal are younger than nationals, as per the 2024 Annual Statistical Report. Immigrants have been proved to be particularly vital to some economic sectors that employ few Portuguese nationals, mainly due to low wages, such as tourism, fisheries, agriculture, catering, and civil construction.