2021 Edition

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.

Area

land

91,470 sq km

note

note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

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

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; they are two of the four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Canary Islands (Spain) and Cabo Verde

Irrigated land

5,400 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Spain 1224 km

total

1,224 km

Land use

agricultural land

39.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)

forest

37.8% (2018 est.)

other

22.5% (2018 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

Age structure

0-14 years

13.58% (male 716,102/female 682,582)

15-24 years

10.94% (male 580,074/female 547,122)

25-54 years

41.49% (male 2,109,693/female 2,164,745)

55-64 years

13.08% (male 615,925/female 731,334)

65 years and over

20.92% (male 860,198/female 1,294,899) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

8.02 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

0.4% (2015/16)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

73.9% (2014)

Current Health Expenditure

9.4% (2018)

Death rate

10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

35.5

potential support ratio

2.8 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

55.8

youth dependency ratio

20.3

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

4.7% of GDP (2018)

Ethnic groups

Portuguese 95%; citizens from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa, Asia (Han Chinese), and South America (Brazilian) and other foreign born 5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

42,000 (2020 est.)

Hospital bed density

3.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

2.89 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.53 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)

Life expectancy at birth

female

84.6 years (2021 est.)

male

78.14 years

total population

81.29 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

95.1% (2018)

male

97.4%

total population

96.1%

Major urban areas - population

2.972 million LISBON (capital), 1.316 million Porto (2021)

Maternal mortality ratio

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

46.5 years (2020 est.)

male

42.7 years

total

44.6 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.9 years (2019 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Portuguese

noun

Portuguese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

20.8% (2016)

Physicians density

5.12 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

10,263,850 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities

Population growth rate

-0.23% (2021 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 3.3%, other (includes Jewish, Muslim) 0.6%, none 6.8%, unspecified 8.3% (2011 est.)

note

note: data represent population 15 years of age and older

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2019)

male

17 years

total

17 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

0.66 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.9 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.42 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

24.4% (2020 est.)

male

21%

total

22.6%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

66.8% of total population (2021)

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

etymology

Lisbon is one of Europe's oldest cities (the second oldest capital city after Athens) and the origin of the name is lost in time; it may have been founded as an ancient Celtic settlement that subsequently maintained close commercial relations with the Phoenicians (beginning about 1200 B.C.); the name of the settlement may have been derived from the pre-Roman appellation for the Tagus River that runs through the city, Lisso or Lucio; the Romans named the city "Olisippo" when they took it from the Carthaginians in 205 B.C.; under the Visigoths the city name became "Ulixbona," under the Arabs it was "al-Ushbuna"; the medieval version of "Lissabona" became today's Lisboa

geographic coordinates

38 43 N, 9 08 W

name

Lisbon

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note

Portugal has two time zones, including the Azores (UTC-1)

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 (2021)

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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kristin M. KANE (since January 2021)

consulate(s)

Ponta Delgada (Azores)

email address and website

conslisbon@state.govhttps://pt.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisboa

FAX

[351] (21) 726-9109

mailing address

5320 Lisbon Place, Washington DC  20521-5320

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), Providence (RI)

consulate(s) general

Boston, Newark (NJ), New York, San Francisco

email address and website

info.washington@mne.pt; sconsular.washington@mne.pthttps://washingtondc.embaixadaportugal.mne.gov.pt/en/

FAX

[1] (202) 462-3726; [1] (202) 387-2768

telephone

[1] (202) 350-5400; [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 reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (PSD) 60.7%, Ana GOMES (ran as an independent but is a member of PS) 12.97%, Andre VENTURA (CH) 11.9%, João FERREIRA (PCP-PEV) 4.32%, Marisa MATIAS (BE) 3.95%, other 6.16%

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 2021 (next to be held in January 2026); 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)

note

note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president

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 (as of October 2021) - men 138, women 92, percent of women 40% (e.g. 2019)

elections

last held on 6 October 2019 (next to be held on 30 January 2022); note - early elections were called after parliament was dissolved on 3 November 2021 because of the 27 October 2021 rejection of the government's budget (e.g. 2019)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL

name

"A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese)

note

note: adopted 1910; "A Portuguesa" was originally written to protest the Portuguese monarchy's acquiescence to the 1890 British ultimatum forcing Portugal to give up areas of Africa; the lyrics refer to the "insult" that resulted from the event

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]Enough (Chega) [Andre VENTURA]Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal) or IL [Joao COTRIM DE FIGUEIREDO]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

Agricultural products

milk, tomatoes, olives, grapes, maize, potatoes, pork, apples, oranges, poultry

Budget

expenditures

100 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

93.55 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

BBB (2007)

Moody's rating

Baa3 (2018)

Standard & Poors rating

BBB (2019)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2018

$988 million (2018 est.)

Current account balance 2019

-$203 million (2019 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$483.206 billion (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$462.431 billion (2019 est.)

Economic 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

currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

0.7634 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

0.7525 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

0.87789 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

0.90338 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.82771 (2020 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$105.76 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$104.77 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$85.28 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Exports - commodities

cars and vehicle parts, refined petroleum, leather footwear, paper products, tires (2019)

Exports - partners

Spain 23%, France 13%, Germany 12%, United Kingdom 6%, United States 5% (2019)

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)

$237.698 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2014

34 (2014 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017

33.8 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.9% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%

2.6%

Imports

Imports 2018

$103.59 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Imports 2019

$103.05 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$89.31 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

Imports - commodities

cars and vehicle parts, crude petroleum, aircraft, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, natural gas (2019)

Imports - partners

Spain 29%, Germany 13%, France 9%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019)

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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

1.3% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

0.9% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

0.3% (2019 est.)

Labor force

4.717 million (2020 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

8.6%

industry

23.9%

services

67.5% (2014 est.)

Population below poverty line

17.2% (2018 est.)

Public debt

note

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Public debt 2016

129.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

125.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$350.07 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$358.78 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$331.64 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2017

3.51% (2017 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2018

2.85% (2018 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2019

2.24% (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$34,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$34,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$32,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015

$19.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$26.11 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

42.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2018

7.05% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate 2019

6.55% (2019 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

24.4% (2020 est.)

male

21%

total

22.6%

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 - 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.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

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.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

40.81 (2020 est.)

total

4,160,895 (2020)

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

78.26% (2020 est.)

total

8.58 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations; fixed-line 50 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular 116 per 100 persons (2019)

general assessment

Portugal has a medium-sized telecom market with a strong mobile sector and a growing broadband customer base; mobile market dominated by one operator with room for competition; 3G infrastructure is universal, with investment directed toward expanding provision of 90% LTE coverage in rural areas and 5G technologies; cable sector shifting to wireless, with access to 66% of population; developments in m-commerce; operator assessing installation of submarine cable between islands and mainland; importer of broadcasting equipment from EU (2020)

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)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

51.12 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

5,212,507 (2020)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

116.3 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

11,854,999 (2020)

Airports

total

64 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

8

2,438 to 3,047 m

7

914 to 1,523 m

15

over 3,047 m

5

total

43

under 914 m

8 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

914 to 1,523 m

1

total

21

under 914 m

20 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

CR, CS

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 86, container ship 267, general cargo 137, oil tanker 27, other 209 (2021)

total

726

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

454.21 million mt-km (2018)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

17,367,956 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

168

number of registered air carriers

10 (2020)

Pipelines

1344 km gas, 11 km oil, 188 km refined products (2013)

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Sines (1,420,000) (2019)

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 - note

Portugal is a member of NATO and was one of the original 12 countries to sign the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949

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) (2021)

note

note: the GNR is a national gendarmerie force comprised of military personnel with law enforcement, internal security, civil defense, disaster response, and coast guard duties; it is responsible to the Minister of Internal Administration and to the Minister of National Defense; in the event of war or crisis, it may be placed under the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Portuguese Armed Forces have approximately 27,000 active duty personnel (14,000 Army; 7,000 Navy, inc about 1,000 marines; 6,000 Air Force); 24,500 National Republican Guard (military personnel) (2021)

Military deployments

200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA/EUTM); up to 120 Baltic States (NATO) (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Portuguese Armed Forces inventory includes mostly European and US-origin weapons systems along with a smaller mix of domestically-produced equipment; since 2010, Germany and the US are the leading suppliers of armaments to Portugal; Portugal's defense industry is primarily focused on shipbuilding (2020)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2016

1.27% of GDP (2016)

Military Expenditures 2017

1.24% of GDP (2017)

Military Expenditures 2018

1.34% of GDP (2018)

Military Expenditures 2019

1.38% of GDP (2019)

Military Expenditures 2020

1.59% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary or contract military service; no compulsory military service (abolished 2004), 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 (2019)

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

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

stateless persons

45 (2020)

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

48.74 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

10.93 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

7.87 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

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, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban

Land use

agricultural land

39.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)

forest

37.8% (2018 est.)

other

22.5% (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0.13% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

77.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

8.767 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

1.497 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

914.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

66.8% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

4.71 million tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

764,433 tons (2014 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

16.2% (2014 est.)