2019 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2019 Archive (Wayback Machine)
Introduction
Background
Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, and for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 91,470 sq km
- Total
- 92,090 sq km
- Water
- 620 sq km
Area Comparative
slightly smaller than Virginia
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Coastline
1,793 km
Elevation
- Highest Point
- Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m
- Lowest Point
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- Mean Elevation
- 372 m
Environment Current Issues
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in urban centers and coastal areas
Environment International Agreements
- Party To
- Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
- Signed But Not Ratified
- Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification
Geographic Coordinates
39 30 N, 8 00 W
Geography Note
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
Irrigated Land
5,400 sq km (2012)
Land Boundaries
- Border Countries
- Spain 1224 km
- Total
- 1,224 km
Land Use
- Agricultural Land
- 39.7% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Arable Land
- 11.9% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Permanent Crops
- 7.8% (2011 est.)
- Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture
- 20% (2011 est.)
- Forest
- 37.8% (2011 est.)
- Other
- 22.5% (2011 est.)
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Map References
Europe
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous Zone
- 24 nm
- Continental Shelf
- 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- Exclusive Economic Zone
- 200 nm
- Territorial Sea
- 12 nm
Natural Hazards
Azores subject to severe earthquakesvolcanism: limited volcanic activity in the Azores Islands; Fayal or Faial (1,043 m) last erupted in 1958; most volcanoes have not erupted in centuries; historically active volcanoes include Agua de Pau, Furnas, Pico, Picos Volcanic System, San Jorge, Sete Cidades, and Terceira
Natural Resources
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Population Distribution
concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities
Terrain
the west-flowing Tagus River divides the country: the north is mountainous toward the interior, while the south is characterized by rolling plains
People and Society
Age Structure
- 0 14 Years
- 14.01% (male 743,277 /female 707,437)
- 15 24 Years
- 10.89% (male 580,709 /female 546,908)
- 25 54 Years
- 42.04% (male 2,143,735 /female 2,209,736)
- 55 64 Years
- 12.8% (male 605,113 /female 720,192)
- 65 Years And Over
- 20.26% (male 838,606 /female 1,259,780) (2018 est.)
Birth Rate
8.2 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate
73.9% (2014)
Current Health Expenditure
9.1% (2016)
Death Rate
10.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- Elderly Dependency Ratio
- 31.8 (2015 est.)
- Potential Support Ratio
- 3.1 (2015 est.)
- Total Dependency Ratio
- 53.4 (2015 est.)
- Youth Dependency Ratio
- 21.6 (2015 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved Rural
- 100% of population
- Improved Total
- 100% of population
- Improved Urban
- 100% of population
- Unimproved Rural
- 0% of population
- Unimproved Total
- 0% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Urban
- 0% of population
Education Expenditures
4.9% of GDP (2015)
Ethnic Groups
white homogeneous Mediterranean population; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990, Eastern Europeans have migrated to Portugal
HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate
0.5% (2018 est.)
HIV/AIDS Deaths
<500 (2018 est.)
HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS
41,000 (2018 est.)
Hospital Bed Density
3.4 beds/1,000 population (2013)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Female
- 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male
- 3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
Languages
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Female
- 84.2 years
- Male
- 77.7 years
- Total Population
- 80.9 years (2018 est.)
Literacy
- Definition
- age 15 and over can read and write
- Female
- 94.4% (2015)
- Male
- 97.1%
- Total Population
- 95.7%
Major Urban Areas Population
2.942 million LISBON (capital), 1.31 million Porto (2019)
Maternal Mortality Rate
8 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Median Age
- Female
- 45.6 years
- Male
- 41.8 years
- Total
- 43.7 years (2018 est.)
Mother's Mean Age at First Birth
30.2 years (2015 est.)
Nationality
- Adjective
- Portuguese
- Noun
- Portuguese (singular and plural)
Net Migration Rate
-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate
20.8% (2016)
Physicians Density
3.34 physicians/1,000 population (2016)
Population
10,355,493 (July 2018 est.)
Population Growth Rate
-0.27% (2018 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 3.3%, other (includes Jewish, Muslim) 0.6%, none 6.8%, unspecified 8.3% (2011 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved Rural
- 99.8% of population (2015 est.)
- Improved Total
- 99.7% of population (2015 est.)
- Improved Urban
- 99.6% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Rural
- 0.2% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Total
- 0.3% of population (2015 est.)
- Unimproved Urban
- 0.4% of population (2015 est.)
School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education
- Female
- 16 years (2016)
- Male
- 16 years
- Total
- 16 years
Sex Ratio
- 0 14 Years
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15 24 Years
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 25 54 Years
- 0.97 male(s)/female
- 55 64 Years
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- 65 Years And Over
- 0.67 male(s)/female
- At Birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- Total Population
- 0.9 male(s)/female (2018 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
1.39 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24
- Female
- 25.5% (2017 est.)
- Male
- 22.4%
- Total
- 23.9%
Urbanization
- Rate Of Urbanization
- 0.47% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
- Urban Population
- 65.8% of total population (2019)
Government
Administrative Divisions
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Capital
- Daylight Saving Time
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
- Geographic Coordinates
- 38 43 N, 9 08 W
- Name
- Lisbon
- Time Difference
- UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- Citizenship By Birth
- no
- Citizenship By Descent Only
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Portugal
- Dual Citizenship Recognized
- yes
- Residency Requirement For Naturalization
- 10 years; 6 years if from a Portuguese-speaking country
Constitution
- Amendments
- proposed by the Assembly of the Republic; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of Assembly members; amended several times, last in 2005 (2016)
- History
- several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1976, effective 25 April 1976
Country Name
- Conventional Long Form
- Portuguese Republic
- Conventional Short Form
- Portugal
- Etymology
- name derives from the Roman designation "Portus Cale" meaning "Port of Cale"; Cale was an ancient Celtic town and port in present-day northern Portugal
- Local Long Form
- Republica Portuguesa
- Local Short Form
- Portugal
Diplomatic Representation From The Us
- Chief Of Mission
- Ambassador George E. GLASS (since 25 August 2017)
- Consulate S
- Ponta Delgada (Azores)
- Embassy
- Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
- Fax
- [351] (21) 726-9109
- Mailing Address
- Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726
- Telephone
- [351] (21) 727-3300
Diplomatic Representation In The Us
- Chancery
- 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
- Chief Of Mission
- Ambassador Domingos Teixeira de Abreu FEZAS VITAL (since 28 January 2016)
- Consulate S
- New Bedford (MA), Newark (NJ), Providence (RI)
- Consulate's General
- Boston, New York, San Francisco
- Fax
- [1] (202) 223-3926
- Telephone
- [1] (202) 332-3007
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
- Chief Of State
- President Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (since 9 March 2016)
- Election Results
- Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA elected president in the first round; percent of vote - Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (PSD) 52%, Antonio Sampaio da NOVOA (independent) 22.9%, Marisa MATIAS (BE) 10.1%, Maria de BELEM (independent) 4.2%, other 10.8%
- Elections Appointments
- president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 January 2016 (next to be held in January 2021); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president
- Head Of Government
- Prime Minister Antonio Luis Santos da COSTA (since 24 November 2015)
Flag Description
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) centered on the dividing line; explanations for the color meanings are ambiguous, but a popular interpretation has green symbolizing hope and red the blood of those defending the nation
Government Type
semi-presidential republic
Independence
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 1 December 1640 (independence reestablished following 60 years of Spanish rule); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
International Law Organization Participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Judicial Branch
- Highest Courts
- Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (consists of 12 justices); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 13 judges)
- Judge Selection And Term Of Office
- Supreme Court justices nominated by the president and appointed by the Assembly of the Republic; judges can serve for life; Constitutional Court judges - 10 elected by the Assembly and 3 elected by the other Constitutional Court judges; judges elected for 6-year nonrenewable terms
- Subordinate Courts
- Supreme Administrative Court (Supremo Tribunal Administrativo); Audit Court (Tribunal de Contas); appellate, district, and municipal courts
Legal System
civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts
Legislative Branch
- Description
- unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; 226 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote and 4 members - 2 each in 2 constituencies representing Portuguese living abroad - directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) (e.g. 2019)
- Election Results
- percent of vote by party - PS 36.4%, PSD 27.8%, B.E. 9.5%, CDU 6.5%, other 20.8%; seats by party - PS 108, PSD 79, B.E. 19, CDU 12, other 12; composition - men 158, women 72, percent of women 31.3% (e.g. 2019)
- Elections
- last held on 6 October 2019 (next to be held 2023) (e.g. 2019)
National Anthem
- Lyrics Music
- Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL
- Name
- "A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese)
National Holiday
Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis DE CAMOES (1524-80) died
National Symbol S
armillary sphere (a spherical astrolabe modeling objects in the sky and representing the Republic); national colors: red, green
Political Parties And Leaders
Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party (Partido do Centro Democratico Social-Partido Popular) or CDS-PP [Assuncao CRISTAS] Ecologist Party "The Greens" or "Os Verdes" (Partido Ecologista-Os Verdes) or PEV [Heloisa APOLONIA] People-Animals-Nature Party (Pessoas-Animais-Natureza) or PAN [Andre SILVA] Portuguese Communist Party (Partido Comunista Portugues) or PCP [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata) or PSD (original name Partido Popular Democratico) or PPD [Rui RIO] Socialist Party (Partido Socialista) or PS [Antonio COSTA] The Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) or BE or O Bloco [Catarina MARTINS] Unitary Democratic Coalition (Coligacao Democratica Unitaria) or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PCP and PEV)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture Products
grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, dairy products; fish
Budget
- Expenditures
- 100 billion (2017 est.)
- Revenues
- 93.55 billion (2017 est.)
Budget Surplus Or Deficit
-3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Central Bank Discount Rate
- 2015
- 0.05%
- 2016
- 0%
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
- 31 December 2016
- 3.77%
- 31 December 2017
- 3.21%
Current Account Balance
- 2016
- $1.218 billion
- 2017
- $993 million
Debt External
- 31 March 2015
- $447 billion
- 31 March 2016
- $449 billion
Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index
- 2014
- 34
- 2015
- 33.9
Economy Overview
Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community - the EU's predecessor - in 1986. Over the following two decades, successive governments privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country joined the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU members.The economy grew by more than the EU average for much of the 1990s, but the rate of growth slowed in 2001-08. After the global financial crisis in 2008, Portugal’s economy contracted in 2009 and fell into recession from 2011 to 2013, as the government implemented spending cuts and tax increases to comply with conditions of an EU-IMF financial rescue package, signed in May 2011. Portugal successfully exited its EU-IMF program in May 2014, and its economic recovery gained traction in 2015 because of strong exports and a rebound in private consumption. GDP growth accelerated in 2016, and probably reached 2.5 % in 2017. Unemployment remained high, at 9.7% in 2017, but has improved steadily since peaking at 18% in 2013.The center-left minority Socialist government has unwound some unpopular austerity measures while managing to remain within most EU fiscal targets. The budget deficit fell from 11.2% of GDP in 2010 to 1.8% in 2017, the country’s lowest since democracy was restored in 1974, and surpassing the EU and IMF projections of 3%. Portugal exited the EU’s excessive deficit procedure in mid-2017.
Exchange Rates
- 2013
- 0.7634
- 2014
- 0.7525
- 2015
- 0.9214
- 2016
- 0.903
- 2017
- 0.885
- Currency
- euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exports
- 2016
- $54.76 billion
- 2017
- $61 billion
Exports Commodities
agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, hides, leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, machinery and tools, base metals
Exports Partners
Spain 25.2%, France 12.5%, Germany 11.3%, UK 6.6%, US 5.2%, Netherlands 4% (2017)
Fiscal Year
calendar year
GDP Composition By End Use
- Exports Of Goods And Services
- 43.1% (2017 est.)
- Government Consumption
- 17.6% (2017 est.)
- Household Consumption
- 65.1% (2017 est.)
- Imports Of Goods And Services
- -42.1% (2017 est.)
- Investment In Fixed Capital
- 16.2% (2017 est.)
- Investment In Inventories
- 0.1% (2017 est.)
GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin
- Agriculture
- 2.2% (2017 est.)
- Industry
- 22.1% (2017 est.)
- Services
- 75.7% (2017 est.)
GDP Official Exchange Rate
$218 billion (2017 est.)
GDP Per Capita Ppp
- 2015
- $29,100
- 2016
- $29,600
- 2017
- $30,500
GDP Purchasing Power Parity
- 2015
- $301 billion
- 2016
- $305.9 billion
- 2017
- $314.1 billion
GDP Real Growth Rate
- 2015
- 1.8%
- 2016
- 1.6%
- 2017
- 2.7%
Gross National Saving
- 2015
- 15.9% of GDP
- 2016
- 16.1% of GDP
- 2017
- 16.8% of GDP
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share
- Highest 10
- 25.9% (2015 est.)
- Lowest 10
- 2.6%
Imports
- 2016
- $64.98 billion
- 2017
- $74.73 billion
Imports Commodities
agricultural products, chemical products, vehicles and other transport material, optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semiconductors and related devices, oil products, base metals, food products, textile materials
Imports Partners
Spain 32%, Germany 13.7%, France 7.4%, Italy 5.5%, Netherlands 5.4% (2017)
Industrial Production Growth Rate
3.5% (2017 est.)
Industries
textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper and pulp, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, automobiles and auto parts, base metals, minerals, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology, telecommunications; dairy products, wine, other foodstuffs; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism, plastics, financial services, optics
Inflation Rate Consumer Prices
- 2016
- 0.6%
- 2017
- 1.6%
Labor Force
5.233 million (2017 est.)
Labor Force By Occupation
- Agriculture
- 8.6%
- Industry
- 23.9%
- Services
- 67.5% (2014 est.)
Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
- 31 December 2013
- $79.18 billion
- 31 December 2014
- $57.77 billion
- 31 December 2015
- $59.84 billion
Population Below Poverty Line
19% (2015 est.)
Public Debt
- 2016
- 129.9% of GDP
- 2017
- 125.7% of GDP
Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold
- 31 December 2015
- $19.4 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $26.11 billion
Stock Of Broad Money
- 31 December 2016
- $81.15 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $106.8 billion
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
- 31 December 2016
- $84.73 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $103.1 billion
Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
- 31 December 2016
- $147.1 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $185.7 billion
Stock Of Domestic Credit
- 31 December 2016
- $311.6 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $356.8 billion
Stock Of Narrow Money
- 31 December 2016
- $81.15 billion
- 31 December 2017
- $106.8 billion
Taxes And Other Revenues
42.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment Rate
- 2016
- 11.1%
- 2017
- 8.9%
Energy
Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy
54.97 million Mt (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Exports
0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Imports
285,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude Oil Production
0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude Oil Proved Reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Electricity Access
100% (2016)
Electricity Consumption
46.94 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Exports
9.701 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity From Fossil Fuels
41% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants
25% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Nuclear Fuels
0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity From Other Renewable Sources
35% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Electricity Imports
4.616 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity Installed Generating Capacity
20.56 million kW (2016 est.)
Electricity Production
56.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Natural Gas Consumption
6.258 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Exports
0 cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Imports
6.541 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Production
0 cu m (2017 est.)
Natural Gas Proved Reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Consumption
247,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Exports
143,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Imports
78,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined Petroleum Products Production
323,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Communications
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 33 (2017 est.)
- Total
- 3,574,047
Broadcast Media
Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP), the publicly owned TV broadcaster, operates 4 domestic channels and external service channels to Africa; overall, roughly 40 domestic TV stations; viewers have widespread access to international broadcasters with more than half of all households connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV systems; publicly owned radio operates 3 national networks and provides regional and external services; several privately owned national radio stations and some 300 regional and local commercial radio stations
Internet Country Code
.pt
Internet Users
- Percent Of Population
- 70.4% (July 2016 est.)
- Total
- 7,629,560
Telephone System
- Domestic
- integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations; fixed-line 45 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular 109 per 100 persons (2018)
- General Assessment
- Portugal's telephone system has a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities; FttP by 2020; 3G comprehensive and 4G upgrades; 5G developing; LTE-A trials; DSL moves to fibre services; FttP for over 5 million customers by 2020 providing national coverage; (2018)
- International
- country code - 351; landing points for the Ella Link, BUGIO, EIG, SAT-3/WASC, SeaMeWe-3, Equino, MainOne, Tat TGN-Western Europe, WACS, ACE, Atlantis2 and Columbus-III submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and the US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores (2019)
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 45 (2017 est.)
- Total Subscriptions
- 4,831,022
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants
- 109 (2017 est.)
- Total Subscriptions
- 11,764,106
Transportation
Airports
64 (2013)
Airports With Paved Runways
- 1 524 To 2 437 M
- 8 (2017)
- 2 438 To 3 047 M
- 7 (2017)
- 914 To 1 523 M
- 15 (2017)
- Over 3 047 M
- 5 (2017)
- Total
- 43 (2017)
- Under 914 M
- 8 (2017)
Airports With Unpaved Runways
- 914 To 1 523 M
- 1 (2013)
- Total
- 21 (2013)
- Under 914 M
- 20 (2013)
Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix
CR, CS (2016)
Merchant Marine
- By Type
- bulk carrier 68, container ship 236, general cargo 84, oil tanker 11, other 177 (2018)
- Total
- 576
National Air Transport System
- Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers
- 343,971,094 mt-km (2015)
- Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers
- 12,635,233 (2015)
- Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers
- 122 (2015)
- Number Of Registered Air Carriers
- 12 (2015)
Pipelines
1344 km gas, 11 km oil, 188 km refined products (2013)
Ports And Terminals
- Container Port's Teus
- Sines (1,669,057) (2017)
- Lng Terminal's Import
- Sines
- Major Seaport S
- Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines
Railways
- Broad Gauge
- 2,439 km 1.668-m gauge (1,633.4 km electrified) (2014)
- Narrow Gauge
- 108.1 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
- Other
- 528 km (gauge unspecified) (2014)
- Total
- 3,075 km (2014)
Roadways
- Paved
- 71,294 km (includes 2,613 km of expressways) (2008)
- Total
- 82,900 km (2008)
- Unpaved
- 11,606 km (2008)
Waterways
210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2011)
Military and Security
Military And Security Forces
Portuguese Armed Forces: Portuguese Army (Exercito Portuguesa), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP); Portuguese National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana, GNR) (2019)
Military Expenditures
- 2015
- 1.33% of GDP
- 2016
- 1.27% of GDP
- 2017
- 1.25% of GDP
- 2018
- 1.43% of GDP
- 2019
- 1.52% of GDP
Military Service Age And Obligation
18-30 years of age for voluntary or contract military service; no compulsory military service, but conscription possible if insufficient volunteers available; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1992, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; contract service lasts for an initial period from two to six years, and can be extended to a maximum of 20 years of service. Voluntary military service lasts 12 months; reserve obligation to age 35 (2017)
Transnational Issues
Disputes International
Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Illicit Drugs
seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin
Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons
14 (2018)