Portugal Is "Dependent on Immigration"

The median age of the population in Portugal was 47.3 years in 2024, reported the National Institute of Statistics (Photo from INE)

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On the U.N.'s International Migrants Day, Portuguese media took stock of the country's politically fraught situation with sobering facts and figures.

Foreigners Gave Five Times More Than What They Got From Social Security

Foreign workers contributed more than 3 billion euros to Social Security in Portugal, which is five times more than what they received in social benefits, reported SIC Notícias (December 18).

Currently, foreign nationals constitute 20 percent of all workers contributing to Social Security.

During the first 10 months of the year, Social Security contributions totaled 3.1 billion euros from 1.76 million foreigners working in Portugal, out of a population of 10.7 million.

Of this group of immigrants, 367,000 benefited from social benefits, totaling about 600 million euros, or a fifth of their contributions. Benefits included family allowances, maternity benefits, sick pay, unemployment benefits, among others.

The hotel and restaurant industry has the highest concentration of immigrant workers at 25 percent.

Portugal Needs Immigrants, Said Head of Municipalities

The new president of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities, Pedro Pimpão, said that the country needs an immigrant population because the national demographic situation is not enough to meet the needs, said on Rádio Renascença. (December 18).

"When we talk to business owners in some sectors, we realize that they are very dependent on immigration, and mechanisms for integration and inclusion within that immigration system need to be strengthened.

"Therefore, I don't see this as a problem, but as a positive challenge for our country, and we have the conditions to welcome them in a structured way," said Pedro Pimpão, who is also president of Pombal, in Leiria District.

Aging Population, Emigration

The population was estimated at 10,749,635 people on December 31, 2024, 109,909 more than in 2023, increasing for the sixth consecutive year, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística (National Institute of Statistics) (June 18).

The population increase resulted from a net migration of 143,641 people, which counterbalanced the negative natural balance of -33,732. These results translated into a crude rate of increase (1.03 percent), a crude rate of net migration (1.34 percent) and crude rate of natural increase (0-32 percent), reported the National Institute.

In 2024, there were 33,916 emigrants, according to Pordata in figures released on World Migrants Day (December 18). Pordata is a database of statistics about Portugal and Europe.

In 2024, due to the decline in fertility, the number of children per women of childbearing age decreased to 1.40 children (1.44 in 2023), reported the National Institute.

At the same time, demographic ageing in Portugal continued to increase so that in 2024, there were 192.4 elderly people for every 100 young people (188.1 in 2023).

Foreign Percentage in Line With EU

The proportion of foreigners (9.8 percent) at the beginning of 2024, was in line with the 9.6 percent overall percentage of the European Union, according to Pordata (December 18).

The number of foreign citizens residing in Portugal quadrupled in seven years, reaching more than 1.5 million at the end of 2024, according to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), reported Pordata.

Seventy-one percent of these foreigners had a residence permit; 25 percent were awaiting the granting or renewal of a residence permit, and the remaining 70,000 were in other situations.

Brazil continued to be the country with the most residents in Portugal, almost 485,000, five times more than the number from India, which is the second most represented country.

Nationality

The Constitutional Court affirmed the unconstitutionality of four provisions of the Nationality Bill, which cites stricter rules and longer deadlines for applying for Portuguese citizenship, reported Expresso (December 15).

The bill would revoke the special regime for descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews, which was not one of the provisions ruled on by the court.

In 2024, Portuguese nationality was granted to 20,624 people residing in Portugal, a 21 percent increase compared to 2023, reported Pordata. The main reasons were residence in Portugal for more than six years (75 percent) and marriage or de facto union with a Portuguese citizen for more than three years (17 percent). About 80 percent were 20 to 64 years old.

The majority of Portuguese nationality grants were made to residents abroad. There were 26, 216 in 2024, 81 percent of whom were of Portuguese Sephardic Jewish descent in a 10 -year special regime prompted by the country's effort at atonement for the Portuguese Inquisition, which lasted 258 years.

There were an estimated 40,000 victims, who were executed, tortured, imprisoned or expelled from the Portuguese Empire. Non-Christians were given the opportunity to become New Christians, which many did at the risk of leaving and being forced to leave their children behind, children who would be raised as Christian.