Portugal's Foreign Resident Population Reaches Nearly 1.5 Million in 2024
The number of foreign citizens residing in Portugal quadrupled over the past seven years, reaching approximately 1.5 million by the close of 2024, according to official data released by the Agência para a Integração, Migração e Asilo (AIMA). The agency's 2024 Migrations and Asylum Report specifies that 1,543,697 foreign nationals were registered as residents at the end of December 2024. This figure represents a substantial increase from 421,802 residents at the end of 2017 and a rise of around 240,000 from 2023 numbers.
The report was compiled based on data from AIMA's internal systems and reflects the agency's ongoing efforts to process pending applications. A significant portion of the resident population, 71%, holds a valid residence permit and has been processed through a dedicated Mission Structure aimed at clearing backlogs. This task force has already provided assistance to 286,302 individuals with pending expressions of interest. The data also includes 61,242 beneficiaries of temporary protection and 7,517 holders of expired residence permits from the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP) who have received support.
The Brazilian community remains the largest group of foreign residents, comprising 31.4% of the total. In the last year, Indian nationals have become the second-most represented community at 7.4%, followed by citizens of Angola (6.9%) and Ukraine (5.9%). Regionally, the most significant increases were observed among citizens from CPLP nations, the Indian subcontinent, and other European countries. For foreign nationals navigating the complexities of residency and property acquisition, consulting with professionals such as property acquisition lawyers is often a necessary step.
The demographic profile of the immigrant population is predominantly composed of working-age adults. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 44 constitute 77% of the total, with a slight majority of males (56.1%). Geographically, the population is concentrated in coastal areas, with the districts of Lisbon, Faro, Setúbal, and Porto collectively housing 1,100,670 foreign residents, or 71.3% of the total. This concentration has direct implications for local infrastructure and housing markets, a topic often covered in our market intelligence and analysis blog.
Need Expert Guidance?
Get personalized insights from verified real estate professionals, lawyers, architects, and more.
In 2024, a total of 218,332 new residence permits were issued, marking a 34% decrease from 2023. The report attributes this drop to an atypical previous year, which saw the automatic conversion of expressions of interest into CPLP residence permits. AIMA anticipates that 2025 will show 'significant values' corresponding to entries made before June 2, 2024, as the expression of interest regime is fully processed.
Permits granted for professional activities and to CPLP citizens accounted for 56.3% of new authorizations. Notably, 2,081 residence permits were issued for investment activities, with the primary recipients being citizens from the United States, China, and Russia. This data point underscores the continued interest of foreign investors in the Portuguese market, a trend analyzed in our investment insights news section.
The report also details international protection figures, with 2,677 applications registered. Applicants from the African continent made up 58.2% of this total, primarily from Senegal, Gambia, and Angola. In its final analysis, AIMA revised the total number of foreign residents for 2023 upwards, from 1,044,606 to 1,304,833, crediting the adjustment to the work of its Mission Structure in reconciling pending cases.
Stay informed on Lisbon property market developments at realestate-lisbon.com.