Portugal Government News Headlines

In April 2026, construction costs for new residential buildings are estimated to have increased by 5.9% on a year-on-year basis, 0.2 percentage points more than the previous month. The price of materials presented a variation of 4.7% while labor costs rose 7.3%.

The Industry Turnover Index, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, recorded a nominal year-on-year rate of change of 9.2% in April (10.4% in the previous month). Excluding the Energy grouping, industrial turnover rose 8.1% (10.7% in the previous month). Domestic and non-domestic market rates of change shifted from 11.7% and 8.4% in March, respectively, to 9.4% and 9.0% in the reference month.

Wages recorded a year-on-year growth of 3.6% in April (4.6% in the previous month), while employment and hours worked (adjusted for calendar effects) decreased by 0.3% and 0.5% (variations of 0.3% and 2.1% in March), respectively.

In April 2026, exports and imports of goods recorded year-on-year nominal changes of +15.5% and +8.9%, respectively (+11.0% and +12.3%, in the same order, in March 2026). When transactions without transfer of ownership (TTE) are excluded, i.e., transactions with a view to or following processing, the increases were more pronounced in both flows: +16.9% in exports and +15.3% in imports (+14.9% and +12.7%, respectively, in March 2026). The trade deficit in goods amounted to EUR 2,883 million, down EUR 149 million compared with April of the previous year. However, excluding TTE, the trade deficit increased by EUR 306 million, totalling EUR 2,958 million.

In April 2026, the unit value index (prices) of exports continued the trajectory initiated in the previous month, recording a positive change of 3.2% (+0.4% in March 2026 and -1.7% in April 2025). Imports recorded their first increase (+2.6%; -2.6% in March 2026 and -1.7% in April 2025) since February 2025.

In the 1st quarter of 2026, 69.3 million passengers travelled by metro which corresponded to a year-on-year reduction of 2.2% (-3.5% in 4th Q 2025). In the same period, rail transport registered 57.6 million passengers, representing a growth of 0.8% (+6.7% in 4th Q 2025).

National airports handled 14.5 million passengers, corresponding to an increase of 3.9% (+4.7% in the 4th Q 2025). Passenger transport by inland waterways totalled 5.1 million, which represented a reduction of 3.1% compared with the same quarter of 2025 (-3.5% in the 4th Q 2025).

Freight transport registered a decrease in all modes of transport. The sharpest decrease was in road transport (-12.7%; -4.9% in 4th Q 2025), followed by maritime transport (-6.5%; -18.0% in previous quarter), rail (-2.1%; -4.3%) and air (-0.3%; -6.2%).

Oil transport by pipeline increased 5.0% compared with the same period of last year (+2.4% in 4th Q 2025). Gas transport by pipeline recorded more significant increases in input (+11.0%; +0.3% in 4th Q 2025) and output (+11.7%; +0.4% in previous quarter).

In 2025, there were 87,130 birth deliveries s in Portugal, 3,071 more than in 2024 (+3.7%), reversing the decline recorded between 2023 and 2024 and resuming the upward trend that had been observed since 2022. At regional level, the relative increase in the number of births in the Norte region (+5.9%) stands out.

The proportion of birth deliveries to mothers of foreign nationality increased from 26.3% in 2024 to 28.8% in 2025, with foreign mothers giving birth mainly in municipalities in the Algarve and Grande Lisboa. The most represented foreign nationalities remained the same as in the previous one, reinforcing their share of total deliveries, especially for Brazil (10.5% of the total number of births in 2025).

Data reveal that, in the last 20 years, the age of women in labour increased: between 2003 and 2025, the proportion of births to mothers aged 35 and over rose from 17,2% to 32,0%.

In 2025, 40.4% of twin births involved mothers aged 35 or over, whilst the proportion of single births among women of the same age was 31.9%.

The number of caesarean sections increased, between 1999 and 2024, from 27.1% to 38.6% of birth deliveries performed in hospitals.

Statistics Portugal releases today the eighth edition of the national publication monitoring the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, entitled “Sustainable Development Goals: Indicators for Portugal | 2030 Agenda”. The publication describes the performance of 189 SDG indicators from the UN global list for Portugal, covering the period from 2015 to the most recent year with available data. It presents a concise analysis of the progress and performance of the 17 SDGs in the national context.

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Industrial Production recorded null year-on-year change rate (4.1% in March). Excluding the Energy grouping, which contracted 17.2%, largely due to electricity, the variation was 3.8% (6.0% in the previous month). Manufacturing Industry year-on-year change rate stood at 2.8% (5.2% in March). The monthly change rate of the total index was  2.6% (4.3% in the previous month).

The trade turnover index recorded a year-on-year increase of 4.3% in April, reflecting a slowdown of 1.4 percentage points (p.p.) compared with the value observed in the previous month. Retail trade and wholesale trade decelerated 1.1 p.p. and 2.0 p.p., respectively, to growth rates of 4.9% and 1.5%. In contrast, the trade, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles sector recorded an acceleration of 3.0 p.p., reaching a growth rate of 12.2% in April.

The employment, wages, and hours worked adjusted for calendar effects indices recorded year-on-year changes of 0.7%, 6.1% and 1.9% in April, respectively (0.8%, 6.1% and 2.2% in March).

Between 1990 and 2024, the proportion of children in the total population decreased from 25.2% to 15.5%. Over the same period, the number of live births per thousand women of childbearing age fell from 46.5 to 37.9 and the average age of women at the birth of their first child increased from 24.9 to 30.3 years.

In 2024, 95.7% of 6-year-olds had completed the vaccination plan for measles, mumps and rubella. In the same year, 3.6% of the children were unable to access dental consultations or treatment when needed and 4.5% had some limitation in performing activities considered usual for their age due to long-standing health problems.

In 2025, the proportion of children receiving formal childcare was 57.6% amongst children aged up to 3 old and 43.8% amongst children aged 4 and over.

The number of students enrolled in non-tertiary education in the 2023/2024 school year decreased by 19.5% compared to 1990/1991, with the pre-primary gross enrolment rate rising from 50.7% to 100.6%. In 2022, 76.8% of 15-year-old students had a minimum level of proficiency in reading and 70.2% in mathematics, reflecting, in both cases, a reduction compared to 2012.

The at-risk-of-poverty rate for children up to 17 years old remained higher than that observed for the general population, reaching 17.6% in 2024. In that year, the risk of poverty affected more than a third of the population living in single-parent households and 26.7% in the case of large families.

In 2025, 20.8% of the population in households with children lived in a situation of insufficient housing space (5.7% in households without children) and 10.2% lived in a severe housing deprivation condition (2.5% in households without children).

In 2024, one fifth of children lived in households that were unable to afford at least one week of holiday a year away from home, and a tenth of children were unable to participate regularly in an extracurricular or leisure activity.

The number of beneficiaries, descendants or equivalent, of the family allowance for children and young people per 100 individuals under 25 years of age was, in 2024, higher in the municipalities of the inner mainland.

In 2025, 3,307 crimes against children were recorded, corresponding to the highest number of reports recorded by the police authorities since 2014, highlighting the crimes of domestic violence against minors and sexual abuse of children, adolescents and minors who are dependent or in a particularly vulnerable situation with, respectively, 33.9% and 28.6% of the total.

In April 2026, the tourist accommodation sector recorded 2.9 million guests (+2.4%) and 7.2 million overnight stays (+0.6%). These results accounted for EUR 600.7 million in total revenue and EUR 453.1 million in revenue from accommodation (+5.2% and +4.0%, respectively).

The growth in overnight stays was driven exclusively by the external markets, despite the slowdown. Overnight stays by non-residents increased by 1.2% (+2.9% in March) to reach 5.2 million, whilst overnight stays by residents fell by 1.0% (following a 3.1% decline in March), totalling 2.0 million.

Among the top ten inbound markets, the Canadian and the Dutch stood out, with the highest growth rates (+12.0% and +9.9%, respectively), whilst the Italian recorded the sharpest decline (-9.7%), which is the largest seen in this market since March 2021.

This month, revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at EUR 69.8 (+0.6%), and the average daily rate (ADR) reached EUR 118.0 (+2.3%). 

It should be noted that the April results may have been influenced by the moving structure of the calendar, i.e., by the effects associated with the Easter period.

In 2025 there were 9,358 seafarers on board in the licensed national fishing fleet, an increase of 1.9% compared with the number on board in 2024, equivalent to an additional 177 individuals. The number of licensed gatherers and pedestrian fishermen fell by 5.1%, compared with 2024.

The licensed fishing fleet (3,501 vessels), relatively to the registered fleet, accounted for 51.6% of the total number of vessels (53.1% in 2024), 84.2% of the total capacity (GT) (-3.6 p.p. compared to 2024) and 79.6% of the power engine (81.9% in 2024).

In 2025, 61 vessels left the fleet, 24 fewer than in the previous year (-28.2%). There were 36 new registrations in 2025, i.e. 11 fewer vessels’ entries (-23.4%) than in 2024.

In 2025, total catches of the Portuguese fleet led to 166,872 tonnes of fish, representing an increase of 0.7% of the national fishery production. The overall increase in catch volume resulted from the growth in foreign fishing areas (+10.9%), where 42,153 tonnes were caught, whilst catches in national waters fell by 2.4%.

Fresh and chilled fishery caught generated a revenue of 344,585 thousand Euros, an increase of 2.0% compared to 2024, and the average annual price of fresh or chilled fish rose by 4.3%, from €2.62/kg to €2.73/kg in 2025. 

In 2025, the trade deficit of the fishery activity widened by 170.6 million Euros, reaching 1,430.1 million Euros. This development resulted from an increase in imports that exceeded the rise in exports, leading to a reduction in the coverage rate to 51.9% (-1.5 p.p. compared to 2024).

Fishery operational program Mar2030 showed, at the end of 2025, an execution rate of 18.9% of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) allocation. 

Fishing quota for Portugal in 2025 fell by around 38%, although the utilisation rate reached 47%, an increase of 21.3 p.p. compared with 2024. Of the relevant species subject to catch limits in 2025, the most significant reductions occurred for horse mackerel, red seabream, blue whiting and Atlantic mackerel.

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In the first quarter of 2026, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in volume, recorded a year-on-year rate of change of 2.3%, a rate higher by 0.4 percentage points than that observed in the previous quarter. The positive contribution of domestic demand to the year-on-year growth rate of GDP increased, from 3.1 percentage points in the fourth quarter to 4.1 percentage points. In contrast, the negative contribution of net external demand to the year-on-year GDP growth was more pronounced in the first quarter, as the increase in Imports of Goods and Services more than offset the increase in Exports of Goods and Services. 

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, GDP presented a null rate of change in volume, following a 0.9% increase in the previous quarter. The contribution of net external demand to the GDP quarter-on-quarter rate of change moved from +1.0 percentage points to -1.6 percentage points, reflecting increases both in Exports of Goods and Services and in Imports of Goods and Services, more intense in the latter case. Conversely, the contribution of domestic demand was +1.7 percentage points (-0.1 percentage points in the previous quarter), driven by a significant increase in investment.

Based on the information available until the date of this press release, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) annual rate is estimated to have remained ate 3.3% in May 2026. The core inflation index, which excludes energy and unprocessed food products components was 2.2% (the same value as in the previous month). The annual rate of change of the index for energy products increased to 13.2% (11.7% in April) and the estimated index for unprocessed food presented decelerated to 5.7% (7.5% in the previous month). 

The CPI monthly rate is estimated to be 0.3% (1.4% in April and 0.3% in May 2025), while the CPI 12-month average rate was estimated to be 2.5% (2.4% in the previous month). 

The estimate of the Portuguese Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) annual rate of change was 3.1% (3.3% in the previous month). 

The May CPI final results will be released on June 12th, 2026.

On World Energy Day, in a context marked by the challenges of energy security and the reduction of external dependence, Statistics Portugal highlights the recent evolution of renewable energies in Portugal and their contribution to the transformation of the national energy mix and to the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7).

In 2024, the Portuguese energy mix continued to show signs of transformation. Domestic energy production, practically based on renewable sources, reached 8,018 ktoe, the highest value in the series under analysis, corresponding to 39.4% of primary energy consumption. Renewable sources represented 38.3% of primary energy consumption in 2024, 3.5 p.p. more than in 2023, mainly reflecting the increase in hydro and photovoltaic production. Oil remained the main source of primary energy, accounting for 40.8% of the total.

Electricity production from renewable sources accounted for 86.2% of total electricity produced. Renewable installed capacity reached 20,777 MW, corresponding to 78.1% of total installed capacity for electricity production, with photovoltaic technology standing out, as its installed capacity increased by 45.6% compared with the previous year.

The transport sector continues to be one of the main challenges of the energy transition, accounting on average for 35.6% of final energy consumption in the 2015-2024 period.

During this period, average prices of road fuels followed an overall upward trend. After the peak recorded in 2022, average prices decreased in 2023 and stabilized in 2024-2025. At the beginning of 2026, a sharp increase was observed, in a context of greater international uncertainty in energy markets, associated with the volatility of oil prices and the worsening of geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East. In March 2026, petrol IO95 reached €1.833/litre, 4.1% more than in January 2015. Road diesel recorded a more pronounced increase, rising by 14.4% to €1.896/litre. Despite the increase in prices at the beginning of 2026, road fuel consumption remained relatively stable, confirming the limited elasticity of consumption in response to price changes in the short term.

In the European context, Portugal presents a favorable position in indicators measuring the incorporation of renewable energy. In 2024, the overall share of renewable energy sources in gross final energy consumption stood at 36.3%, above the EU average (25.2%), although still far from the national target of 51.0% for 2030. Also in electricity, Portugal recorded a value higher than EU average (65.8% compared with 47.5%). In transport, although the national share of renewables (14.3%) exceeds the EU average (11.2%), it remains the most challenging area of the energy transition. National energy dependence remained above the EU average (64.5% compared with 57.3%), reflecting the lack of domestic fossil fuel production and the still significant role of oil, particularly in transport.

March 2026 (definitive estimates):

• The unemployment rate stood at 5.8%, the same value as in February 2026, up from December 2025 by 0.2 percentage points (pp), but down by 0.5 pp from March of that year.

• The labour underutilisation rate was estimated at 9.8%, the same value as in the previous month, up from three months earlier (0.2 pp), but down from the same month of a year before (0.9 pp).

April 2026 (provisional estimates):

• The unemployment rate stood at 5.7%, down from March 2026 (0.1 pp), up from January 2026 (0.1 pp), but down from April 2025 (0.5 pp).

• The labour underutilisation rate was estimated at 9.7%, down from the previous month (0.1 pp), up from three months before (0.1 pp) and down from a year earlier (0.8 pp).

• The activity rate stood, in April 2026, at 70.2%, reaching the highest value since the beginning of the series in February 1998.

In 2023-2025, life expectancy at birth was estimated at 81.75 years, 78.99 years for males and 84.21 years for females, resulting from an increase of 0.26 years (3.1 months) for males and of 0.25 years (3.0 months) for females from the previous triennium.

Within a decade, there was a gain of 1.28 years in life expectancy at birth for the total population, 1.56 years for males and 0.98 years for females. This increase was mainly the result of a reduction in mortality at ages 60 and over. However, the contributions of older ages were more significant for females than for males.

Life expectancy at age 65, in 2023-2025, was estimated at 20.19 years for the total population. At the age of 65 years, men could expect to live 18.43 years and women 21.55 years, which corresponds to an increase of 0.13 years for men and 0.20 years for women compared to 2022-2024. Over the last ten years, life expectancy at age 65 has increased 12.1 months for men and 10.6 months for women.

• According to the 2024 Portuguese Household Finance and Consumption Survey (ISFF), mean net wealth and median net wealth increased by around 29% in real terms compared with 2020, to 298.4 thousand euros and 151.8 thousand euros, respectively. This development was largely driven by the increase in the value of real assets (28.5%, on average), in a context of strong growth in house prices.

• In 2024, median net wealth of households in the bottom 20% of the net wealth distribution stood at 1.7 thousand euros, in contrast with 1,046.7 thousand euros for the top 10%.

• In groups with lower net wealth, such as households where the reference person is unemployed or aged under 35, the proportion of homeowners is lower (around 40%) than for overall households (70.8%).

• In groups with higher net wealth, such as higher-income households and those where the reference person is self-employed or has higher education, other real estate properties (other than the main residence) and self-employment businesses account for a relatively larger share of wealth.

• Financial assets are slightly more concentrated among wealthier households than real assets.

• For most households, the largest share of financial wealth is held in deposits (which include savings and Treasury certificates) (74.6%, for households as a whole), in line with the high-risk aversion reported by households.

• In 2024, 41.6% of households had some type of debt, and among indebted households the median debt value stood at 35.3 thousand euros.

• In 2024, 8% of households faced constraints in access to credit. This share reached almost 20% among households with lower net wealth, younger households, or households where the reference person was unemployed.

• Compared with the past, in 2024 the percentage of households with a high level of indebtedness is lower. This more favourable situation reflects the debt reduction, the increase in income and of the asset values.

The Consumer confidence indicator increased in May, after declining in the previous three months, significantly in March, and registering in April its lowest value since November 2023. This evolution was driven by positive contributions from expectations regarding the future evolution of both households’ financial situation and the country’s economic situation and, to a lesser extent, by opinions on the past evolution of households’ financial situation. By contrast, expectations on the future evolution of major purchases by households contributed negatively.

The balance of opinions on past price developments decreased slightly in May, after recording in April the highest rise since May 2008. The balance of expectations on future price developments declined in April and May, following three consecutive monthly increases, and reaching in March its highest level since March 2022.

The economic climate indicator increased in April and May, after decreasing significantly in the previous month, returning to the level observed in January and February. The confidence indicators increased in Services, in Construction and Public Works and in Manufacturing Industry, having decreased in Trade.

The confidence indicator of Services increased in May, after having decreased in the previous month, driven by the expressive positive contributions from the perspectives on the evolution of demand and assessments of the firm's activity. In Construction and Public Works, the indicator also increased in the last two months, registering the highest value since June 2025, reflecting the positive contribution of the opinions on current order books. The Manufacturing Industry indicator also increased, albeit slightly, reflecting positive contributions of assessments of stock of finished products and the firm’s production perspectives over the next three months. Conversely, the Trade confidence indicator decreased in May, after having increased in the previous month, reflecting the negative contributions from opinions on the volume of sales and activities perspectives over the next three months. 

In May, the entrepreneurs’ expectations regarding the future evolution of selling prices increased in Manufacturing Industry sector, and decreased in Services, in Construction and Public Works and in Trade sectors.

The median value of bank appraisals on housing reached €2,174 per square meter in April, €23 more than in the previous month (an increase of 1.1%). On a year-on-year basis, the rate of change stood at 16.5% (same value as observed in March). It should be noted that the number of bank appraisals increased 5.0% when compared to the previous period, to around 34.5 thousand, 3.6% less than reported in the same period of the previous year. 

In 2025, the Commercial Property Price Index rose by 10.1%, 5.4 percentage points (pp) higher than the increase observed in 2024. This was the highest increase in commercial property prices since the series began. However, this rate of change was still lower than the 17.6% price increase recorded for residential properties in the same year.