According to the National Statistics Institute (INE): "The population residing in Portugal, on December 31, 2022, was estimated at 10,467,366 inhabitants", said INE in the Regional Statistical Yearbooks, with information on a regional and municipal scale, adding that the number represents an increase of 0.44% compared to the estimated value for the previous year and "a greater increase in relation to the variation that occurred in the previous year (+0.26%)".


Between 2021 and 2022, the seven NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes) II regions showed an increase in resident population: North (+0.60%), Lisbon Metropolitan Area (+0.56%), Autonomous Region of Azores (+0.48%), Algarve (+0.43%), Madeira (+0.22%), Centro (+0.17%) and Alentejo (+0.16%).

According to INE, "the increase in the resident population in Portugal, in 2022, resulted from a positive variation in the migratory component (+0.83%) higher than the positive trend that occurred in the previous year (+0.69% ), mitigated by the decrease in the natural component (-0.39%) which proved to be less intense compared to the previous year (-0.43%)".

The importance of the migratory component for the global growth of the population "extended to all NUTS II regions of the country, with particular relevance to the Alentejo and North regions", with values above over 0.90%, recording the Area Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML) the least intense migratory growth (+0.66%).

The natural component of population growth recorded decreases in all NUTS II of the country, with Alentejo (-0.83%), Centro (-0.68%) and the autonomous region of Madeira (-0.53%) recording reductions more pronounced and higher than the national reference (-0.39%).

In 143 of the country's 308 municipalities (46%), located mainly on the coastal strip of the continent and in the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, effective population growth was estimated, INE pointed out.

In 13 municipalities in the country "the positive evolution of the population resulted from simultaneously positive natural and migratory growth rates": Odivelas, Amadora, Loures, Sintra and Vila Franca de Xira (AML), Esposende, Braga, Vizela and Lousada (North), Corvo, Lagoa and Ribeira Grande (Azores) and Albufeira (Algarve).

"In the remaining 130 municipalities with population growth, the evolution was exclusively due to a positive migration balance", the study reads.

The population size decreased, in 2022, in 161 municipalities, highlighting Barrancos (-2.77%) and Alcoutim (-2.21%) with the highest population decreases in the country, and 17 recorded a negative balance in both demographic components: Resende, Baião, Cinfães, Arouca, Felgueiras, Castelo de Paiva and Guimarães (North), Barrancos, Elvas, Portalegre, Campo Maior and Vila Viçosa (Alentejo), Manteigas, Penacova, Sever do Vouga and Guarda (Center), and Setúbal (AML).

Age of population

In 2022, the median age of the resident population was higher than the national reference (47.0 years) in 16 of the 25 NUTS III and 10 of these sub-regions had values equal to or greater than 50 years, with Alto Tâmega standing out with the highest median value (56.6). The Autonomous Region of the Azores (42.7) and the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (45.0) were the only sub-regions with a median age equal to or less than 45 years.