Portugal immigration statistics for common reader questions
- How many immigrants live in Portugal?
AIMA reported 1,543,697 foreign citizens legally resident or administratively visible in Portugal at 31 December 2024. This is the official resident-foreigner stock count, not a count of every foreign-born person in Portugal.
- What percentage of Portugal's population is foreign residents?
Foreign citizens represented about 14.4% of Portugal's resident population using AIMA's 2024 foreign-resident total and the official population series. Naturalised Portuguese citizens are not included in that foreign-citizen share.
- Is immigration to Portugal increasing?
Yes. Portugal's population growth in 2024 depended on migration: the natural balance was negative, while net migration plus adjustment was +143,641. The foreign-resident stock also reflects AIMA backlog clearance, so it should not be read as only new arrivals.
- Which nationalities are most common in Portugal?
Brazil is the largest foreign nationality in Portugal with 484,596 residents, followed by India, Angola, Ukraine, Cape Verde, Nepal, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Guinea-Bissau, and Pakistan in the AIMA 2024 table.
Migration overview
Portugal's resident population was 10,749,635 on 1 January 2025. In the 2024 demographic balance, deaths still exceeded births, but positive net migration plus statistical adjustment added 143,641 people and kept the country in population growth.
The foreign-resident stock reported by AIMA was 1,543,697 at 31 December 2024. Read that as a resident-foreigner count, not as a full foreign-born population count.
| Indicator | Figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Total resident population | 10,749,635 | Eurostat population on 1 January 2025 |
| Foreign residents | 1,543,697 | AIMA foreign-citizen residents at 31 December 2024 |
| Foreign-resident share | 14.4% | Calculated from AIMA and official population totals |
| Population growth | +1.03% | Derived from Eurostat 2024 demographic balance |
| Natural balance | -33,732 | Births minus deaths in 2024 |
| Net migration | +143,641 | Eurostat 2024 net migration plus statistical adjustment |
What changed in Portugal migration in 2024?
Portugal's foreign-resident population increased, but the 2024 data also shows four separate forces: backlog regularisation, work-linked permits, Lusophone migration channels, and demographic dependence on positive net migration.
Portugal's immigration data should be read as resident stock plus administrative catch-up. A high 2024 foreign-resident total does not mean 1.54 million people arrived that year.
The 2024 count combines real population growth with administrative cleanup after SEF's transition to AIMA. Some people counted in 2024 were already in Portugal but became visible in the official resident stock when older files moved through the system.
AIMA reported 218,332 residence permits granted in 2024. In the year-end resident-foreigner stock, professional activity and CPLP agreement records were two of the largest legal-basis groups.
India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan together account for a major share of recent growth. India is now the second-largest foreign nationality in the AIMA table, ahead of Angola and Ukraine.
Portugal still recorded more deaths than births in 2024. Positive net migration is the reason the resident population kept growing despite the negative natural balance.
Population demographics
The Americas are the largest world-region origin group, mostly because of Brazil. European, African, and Asian residents each account for about one fifth to one quarter of Portugal's foreign-resident base.
| Origin region | Share | Main interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | 36.0% | Brazil is by far the largest single nationality |
| Europe | 23.2% | Includes EU nationals, UK residents, and Ukrainians |
| Africa | 20.4% | Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Sao Tome are core communities |
| Asia | 20.2% | India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan account for much of the recent growth |
| Oceania | 0.1% | Small share of the foreign-resident base |
| Nationality | Residents | Share of foreign residents |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 484,596 | 31.4% |
| India | 98,616 | 6.4% |
| Angola | 92,348 | 6.0% |
| Ukraine | 79,232 | 5.1% |
| Cape Verde | 65,507 | 4.2% |
| Nepal | 58,086 | 3.8% |
| Bangladesh | 55,199 | 3.6% |
| United Kingdom | 48,238 | 3.1% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 47,252 | 3.1% |
| Pakistan | 41,508 | 2.7% |
Residence permits and visas
AIMA granted 218,332 residence permits in 2024. The route table below does not break that total into annual grants; it shows the largest legal bases recorded in the year-end resident-foreigner stock, because those are the exact AIMA category values available in the 2024 report.
| Legal basis | Residents | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Professional activity | 559,763 | Largest legal-basis group in the resident-foreigner stock |
| Residence certificate | 300,402 | Mainly EU/EEA-style residence-certificate records |
| CPLP agreement | 177,407 | Residents recorded under the CPLP agreement basis |
| Study | 75,265 | Foreign residents whose legal basis is study |
| Family reunification | 70,325 | Foreign residents recorded under family reunification |
| Temporary protection | 61,242 | Temporary-protection stock in the AIMA 2024 report |
Integration and naturalisation
Immigration is also visible in births, nationality acquisition, and the labour market. Eurostat's 2024 labour indicators show a high foreign-born employment rate, but non-EU citizens still had a higher unemployment rate than Portuguese nationals.
| Indicator | Figure | Source context |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born mothers | 33.0% | Share of 2024 live births to foreign-born mothers |
| Foreign-citizenship mothers | 21.9% | Share of 2023 live births to mothers with foreign citizenship |
| New Portuguese citizens | 16,985 | Eurostat acquisition of Portuguese citizenship in 2023 |
| Foreign-born employment rate | 76% | Eurostat 2024 employment rate for foreign-born people aged 15-64 |
| Foreign-born overqualification | 29.0% | Eurostat 2024 overqualification rate for foreign-born people aged 15-64 |
| Non-EU unemployment | 13.5% | Eurostat 2024 non-EU citizen unemployment rate, versus 6.0% for nationals |
Policy developments
The statistical picture changed while Portugal was changing its migration rules. The 2024 and 2025 numbers should be read together with the end of the expression-of-interest route and AIMA's backlog clearance work.
Expression of interest route closed
Portugal's migration action plan ended the open expression-of-interest route and shifted policy toward more regulated, job-linked admission.
Backlog clearance affects the totals
The 2024 resident-foreigner total should be read with the AIMA transition in mind. Regularising old SEF files lifted the stock number as well as showing real growth.
Golden Visa real-estate route ended
Portugal removed real estate from the Golden Visa investment menu. The programme continues through funds and other qualifying options.
Portugal immigration statistics FAQs
How many immigrants are in Portugal?
Portugal had 1,543,697 registered foreign citizens legally resident or administratively visible at 31 December 2024, according to AIMA's 2024 migration and asylum report. This is a resident-foreigner count, not the full foreign-born population.
What is Portugal's immigration rate?
Foreign citizens made up about 14.4% of Portugal's resident population using AIMA's 2024 foreign-resident total and the official population series. Portugal's 2024 net migration plus adjustment was +143,641.
What are the biggest immigrant nationalities in Portugal?
The largest foreign nationality in Portugal is Brazil with 484,596 residents. The next largest groups in AIMA's 2024 table are India, Angola, Ukraine, Cape Verde, Nepal, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Guinea-Bissau, and Pakistan.
How many Brazilians live in Portugal?
AIMA reported 484,596 Brazilian citizens resident in Portugal at 31 December 2024. Brazilians represented 31.4% of Portugal's foreign-resident population, making Brazil the largest nationality group by a wide margin.
How many Indians live in Portugal?
AIMA reported 98,616 Indian citizens resident in Portugal at 31 December 2024. India was the second-largest foreign nationality group in the 2024 AIMA table.
How many British citizens live in Portugal?
AIMA reported 48,238 United Kingdom citizens resident in Portugal at 31 December 2024. The United Kingdom ranked eighth among foreign nationalities in the 2024 table.
Does AIMA's foreign-resident total count foreign-born Portuguese citizens?
No. AIMA's headline total counts foreign citizens legally resident or administratively visible in Portugal. It does not count naturalised Portuguese citizens, descendants of immigrants who already hold Portuguese citizenship, ethnicity, or every foreign-born resident.
What is the latest official year for Portugal immigration statistics?
The latest complete official resident-foreigner stock release used here is AIMA's 2024 report, measured at 31 December 2024. This page was updated in June 2026, but each statistic is labelled by its source year.
Sources
This page uses official migration, population, and labour-market sources. Table captions link the source family beside the data they support; the source list below keeps the exact report, API, and report pages together.