Portugal
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.
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Geography
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Geographic coordinates
39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references
Europe
Area
total: 92,090 sq km
land: 91,470 sq km
water: 620 sq km
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Land boundaries
total: 1,224 km
border countries (1): Spain 1224 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
Natural resources
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use
agricultural land: 39.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
forest: 37.8% (2018 est.)
other: 22.5% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
5,400 sq km (2012)
Population distribution
concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities
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
People and Society
Nationality
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective: Portuguese
Ethnic groups
Portuguese 95%; citizens from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa, Asia (Han Chinese), and South America (Brazilian) and other foreign born 5%
Languages
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Religions
Roman Catholic 81%, other Christian 3.3%, other (includes Jewish, Muslim) 0.6%, none 6.8%, unspecified 8.3% (2011 est.)
note: data represent population 15 years of age and older
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.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 55.8
youth dependency ratio: 20.3
elderly dependency ratio: 35.5
potential support ratio: 2.8 (2020 est.)
Median age
total: 44.6 years
male: 42.7 years
female: 46.5 years (2020 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: 66.8% of total population (2021)
rate of urbanization: 0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
2.972 million LISBON (capital), 1.316 million Porto (2021)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
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
total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
29.9 years (2019 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
8 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152Infant mortality rate
total: 2.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 2.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.29 years
male: 78.14 years
female: 84.6 years (2021 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
73.9% (2014)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2017 est.)
Current Health Expenditure
9.4% (2018)
Physicians density
5.12 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density
3.5 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2017 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
<500 (2020 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: 97.4%
female: 95.1% (2018)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 17 years
male: 17 years
female: 17 years (2019)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 22.6%
male: 21%
female: 24.4% (2020 est.)
Environment
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
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 7.87 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 48.74 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 10.93 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Land use
agricultural land: 39.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 20% (2018 est.)
forest: 37.8% (2018 est.)
other: 22.5% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 66.8% of total population (2021)
rate of urbanization: 0.44% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Revenue from forest resources
forest revenues: 0.13% of GDP (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107Waste 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.)
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 914.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
industrial: 1.497 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
agricultural: 8.767 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Total renewable water resources
77.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local 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
Government type
semi-presidential republic
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: 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
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
Independence
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 1 December 1640 (independence reestablished following 60 years of Spanish rule); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
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
Constitution
history: several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1976, effective 25 April 1976
amendments: proposed by the Assembly of the Republic; adoption requires two-thirds majority vote of Assembly members; amended several times, last in 2005 (2021)
Legal system
civil law system; Constitutional Court review of legislative acts
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA (since 9 March 2016)
head of government: Prime Minister Antonio Luis Santos da COSTA (since 24 November 2015)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
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
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%
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Domingos Teixeira de Abreu FEZAS VITAL (since 28 January 2016)
chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400; [1] (202) 332-3007
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726; [1] (202) 387-2768
email address and website:
info.washington@mne.pt; sconsular.washington@mne.pt
https://washingtondc.embaixadaportugal.mne.gov.pt/en/
consulate(s) general: Boston, Newark (NJ), New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): New Bedford (MA), Providence (RI)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kristin M. KANE (since January 2021)
embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisboa
mailing address: 5320 Lisbon Place, Washington DC 20521-5320
telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300
FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109
email address and website:
conslisbon@state.gov
https://pt.usembassy.gov/
consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
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
National symbol(s)
armillary sphere (a spherical astrolabe modeling objects in the sky and representing the Republic); national colors: red, green
National anthem
name: "A Portugesa" (The Song of the Portuguese)
lyrics/music: Henrique LOPES DE MENDOCA/Alfredo KEIL
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
Economy
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.
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$331.64 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)
$358.78 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)
$350.07 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)
note: data are in 2010 dollars
Real GDP growth rate
2.24% (2019 est.)
2.85% (2018 est.)
3.51% (2017 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$32,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)
$34,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)
$34,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)
note: data are in 2010 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$237.698 billion (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.3% (2019 est.)
0.9% (2018 est.)
1.3% (2017 est.)
Credit ratings
Fitch rating: BBB (2007)
Moody's rating: Baa3 (2018)
Standard & Poors rating: BBB (2019)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 2.2% (2017 est.)
industry: 22.1% (2017 est.)
services: 75.7% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption: 65.1% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 17.6% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 16.2% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 43.1% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -42.1% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products
milk, tomatoes, olives, grapes, maize, potatoes, pork, apples, oranges, poultry
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
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture: 8.6%
industry: 23.9%
services: 67.5% (2014 est.)
Population below poverty line
17.2% (2018 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
33.8 (2017 est.)
34 (2014 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 25.9% (2015 est.)
Budget
revenues: 93.55 billion (2017 est.)
expenditures: 100 billion (2017 est.)
Public debt
125.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
129.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
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
Fiscal year
calendar year
Current account balance
-$203 million (2019 est.)
$988 million (2018 est.)
Exports
$85.28 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)
$104.77 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)
$105.76 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Exports - partners
Spain 23%, France 13%, Germany 12%, United Kingdom 6%, United States 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
cars and vehicle parts, refined petroleum, leather footwear, paper products, tires (2019)
Imports
$89.31 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)
$103.05 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)
$103.59 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Imports - partners
Spain 29%, Germany 13%, France 9%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
cars and vehicle parts, crude petroleum, aircraft, packaged medicines, refined petroleum, natural gas (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$26.11 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$19.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Debt - external
$462.431 billion (2019 est.)
$483.206 billion (2018 est.)
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.82771 (2020 est.)
0.90338 (2019 est.)
0.87789 (2018 est.)
0.7525 (2014 est.)
0.7634 (2013 est.)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 22.6%
male: 21%
female: 24.4% (2020 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Electricity - installed generating capacity
20.56 million kW (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43Electricity - from fossil fuels
41% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168Electricity - from nuclear fuels
0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
25% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78Electricity - from other renewable sources
35% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9Refined petroleum products - production
323,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39Refined petroleum products - consumption
247,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 5,212,507 (2020)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51.12 (2020 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 11,854,999 (2020)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116.3 (2020 est.)
Telecommunication systems
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)
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)
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: 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
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 users
total: 8.58 million (2021 est.)
percent of population: 78.26% (2020 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 4,160,895 (2020)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40.81 (2020 est.)
Transportation
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 10 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 168
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 17,367,956 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 454.21 million mt-km (2018)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 43
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 8 (2017)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 20 (2013)
Pipelines
1344 km gas, 11 km oil, 188 km refined products (2013)
Railways
total: 3,075 km (2014)
narrow gauge: 108.1 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
broad gauge: 2,439 km 1.668-m gauge (1,633.4 km electrified) (2014)
other: 528 km (gauge unspecified) (2014)
Roadways
total: 82,900 km (2008)
paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,613 km of expressways) (2008)
unpaved: 11,606 km (2008)
Merchant marine
total: 726
by type: bulk carrier 86, container ship 267, general cargo 137, oil tanker 27, other 209 (2021)
Ports and terminals
major seaport(s): Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines
container port(s) (TEUs): Sines (1,420,000) (2019)
LNG terminal(s) (import): Sines
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) (2021)
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 expenditures
1.59% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.38% of GDP (2019)
1.34% of GDP (2018)
1.24% of GDP (2017)
1.27% of GDP (2016)
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 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 deployments
200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA/EUTM); up to 120 Baltic States (NATO) (2021)
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)
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
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s)
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
stateless persons: 45 (2020)
Illicit drugs
a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin