This data relating to the savings habits of the Portuguese represents a slight recovery compared to the 66% and 41%, respectively, recorded in 2023.

The study - carried out annually to evaluate consumption, spending and saving habits in Portugal - also concludes that two in 10 Portuguese people (20%) save between 10% and 20% of their net salary, an increase of four percentage points compared to last year, while 9% set aside 20% to 30% and, as in 2023, only 5% manage to save more than 40% of what they earn.

When they manage to save, 63% of Portuguese people allocate this fraction of their income to meet potential unforeseen events, 39% to accumulate for retirement and 33% to travel, and in these last two categories, there was an increase of three percentage points compared to 2023.

Buying a house is a priority for allocating savings for 22% of those interviewed, two percentage points above last year, followed by buying a car (13%) and spending on other consumer goods (10%), percentages that remain unchanged against the previous edition of the study.

Quoted in a statement, the 'managing director' and 'partner' at BCG Lisboa notes that “the majority of Portuguese people continue to be unable to save, spending most of what they earn on basic needs and allocating the capital they manage to accumulate in low-cost investments".

“In this context, companies must try to differentiate the offer, optimising their pricing and discount strategy and improving their ‘modus operandi’ in the promotion and distribution of products, as well as the physical and digital channels where they are present, in order to be more attractive for consumers”, says Tiago Kullberg.

“At the same time, it is urgent to invest in financial literacy at a national level as an instrument to have better informed and trained citizens”, he adds.