Background: 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 revolution deposed the monarchy in 1910, and for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup ushered in broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Area
Total: 92,090 km²
Land: 91,470 km²
Water: 620 km²
Note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Comparative: slightly smaller than Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,224 km
Border countries (1): (1) Spain 1,224 km

Coastline: 1,793 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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

Terrain
The west-flowing Tagus River divides the country: the north is mountainous toward the interior, while the south is characterized by rolling plains

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 43.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 10.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 9.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 23.6% (2023 est.)
Forest: 36.6% (2023 est.)
Other: 5.7% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 5,662 km² (2019)

Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Volcanism: 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

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

Population
Total: 10,207,177 (2024 est.)
Male: 4,835,763
Female: 5,371,414
Distribution: concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities
Growth rate: -0.14% (2024 est.)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 79.7%, Protestant 2.2%, other Christian 2.5%, other non-Christian, 1.1%, none 14.5% (2021 est.)
Note: data represent population 15 years of age and older

Age structure
0-14 years: 12.7% (male 662,419/female 631,284)
15-64 years: 65% (male 3,264,766/female 3,371,087)
65 years and over: 22.3% (2024 est.) (male 908,578/female 1,369,043)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.8 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 19.5 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 34.3 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 2.9 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 46.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 44.3 years
Female: 48.3 years

Population growth rate: -0.14% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 67.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 3.001 million LISBON (capital), 1.325 million Porto (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 15 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78.8 years
Female: 85.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.45 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 2.1% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.7% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.9% (2016 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 6.4% (2024 est.); 6.6% (2023 est.); 6.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Lisbon
Geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Time zone note: Portugal has two time zones, including the Azores (UTC-1)
Etymology: the origin of the name is unclear; some trace it back to the legendary Greek hero Ulysses; others claim a derivation from the Phoenician alis-ubbo, or 'joyful bay'

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

Legal system: civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (since 9 March 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Antonio Luis MONTENEGRO (since 2 April 2024)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister
Most recent election date: 24 January 2021
2021: 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) 13%, Andre VENTURA (CH) 11.9%, João FERREIRA (PCP-PEV) 4.3%, other 10.1%
2016: Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA elected president in the first round; percent of vote - Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (PSD) 52%, António SAMPAIO DA NOVOA (independent) 22.9%, Marisa MATIAS (BE) 10.1%, Maria DE BELEM ROSEIRA (PS) 4.2%, other 10.8%
Expected date of next election: January 2026
Note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 230 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 5/18/2025
Parties elected and seats per party: Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD) - Democratic and Social Centre - People's Party (CDS-PP) (88); Chega (CH) (60); Socialist Party (PS) (58); Other (24)
Percentage of women in chamber: 35.7%
Expected date of next election: September 2,029

Flag description: two vertical bands of green (left side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths), with the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and national shield) centered on the dividing line

National anthem
Title: 'A Portugesa' (The Song of the Portuguese)
Lyrics/music: Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL
History: adopted 1911; originally written to protest the Portuguese monarchy's acquiescence to the 1890 British ultimatum forcing Portugal to give up areas of Africa

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 17 (16 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (2024 est.); 2.6% (2023 est.); 7% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 1.9% (2024 est.); 2.6% (2023 est.); 7% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 62% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 16.8% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.1% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 47.5% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -46.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2% (2024 est.)
Industry: 18.4% (2024 est.)
Services: 66.4% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.2% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 5.464 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 6.4% (2024 est.); 6.6% (2023 est.); 6.1% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 6.4% (2024 est.); 6.6% (2023 est.); 6.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $112.802 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $109.044 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 22.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $144.237 billion (2024 est.); $137.934 billion (2023 est.); $126.953 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, garments, vehicle parts/accessories, unpackaged medicine, refined petroleum (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $136.976 billion (2024 est.); $133.617 billion (2023 est.); $132.193 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, crude petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, refined petroleum, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 25.409 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 50.317 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 3.422 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 13.656 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 5.129 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 25.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 12.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 29% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 24.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 7.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 7,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 1 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 6,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 3 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 8,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 204,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

Natural gas
Consumption: 4.325 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 4.251 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 38.272 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 20,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 29.525 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 8.727 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 73.285 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5.505 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12.8 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 86% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4.6 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 44 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2025 est.); 1.6% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 128 (2025)

Heliports: 65 (2025)

Railways
Total: 2,526 km (2020) 1,696 km electrified

Merchant marine
Total: 888 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 110, container ship 299, general cargo 191, oil tanker 29, other 259