Despite the increase in mortality and declining birth rates, Portugal ended 2020 with slight population growth (0.02%). The increase in the number of resident foreigners was fundamental to the positive result. The data was published on Monday (14) by the INE (National Institute of Statistics).
The 67,160 new immigrants compensated for the negative natural balance (difference between the number of live births and deaths) which was -38,931 and emigration, with the departure of 25,886 people to other countries.
For the fourth year in a row, there were more foreigners immigrating to Portugal than Portuguese leaving the country, although there was a 0.40% reduction in net migration compared to 2019.
“Despite the limitations imposed to fight the Covid-19 disease pandemic in 2020, international migratory movements have recorded a certain dynamic,” specifies the INE.
The population residing in Portugal last year was estimated at 10,298,252, or 5,439,503 women and 4,858,749 men.
Due to the declining birth rate, the number of children per woman of reproductive age fell to 1.40 in 2020. The year before, it was 1.42.
Demographic aging has also become more pronounced.
The so-called aging index, which compares the elderly population (65 years and over) to the young population (up to 14 years), was 167 elderly people per 100 young people. In 2019, there were 163.2 seniors per 100 young people.
The median age of the resident population has also increased, from 45.5 years in 2019 to 45.8 years in 2020.
Compared to the rest of the European Union – the most recent comparable data is from 2019 – Portugal has the third highest median age in the bloc.