Portugal Population

Population Distribution

As of 2023, the latest population of Portugal is 10,302,674, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).

People in Portugal

10.3 million people live in Portugal, the Portuguese. While several or even many ethnic groups live in many countries, Portugal is a very uniform country linguistically and ethnically. Almost all of the residents of Portugal are Portuguese. There are also some people of African descent whose ancestors came to Portugal during the colonization period, as well as some Roma.

Most people live on the coast of the northern half of Lisbon, where a third of all residents live in the surrounding area. Ten percent of Portugal’s population live in the cities of Lisbon and Porto. The hinterland is less populated.

Because Portugal was a poor country for a long time, it was traditionally a country of emigration. Many Portuguese moved to Brazil or one of the Portuguese colonies in Africa. There they could continue to speak their language. Today in Europe a particularly large number of Portuguese live in France, but also in Great Britain, Switzerland and Spain. The proportion of Portuguese is also high in Luxembourg.

• Children: Every woman in Portugal has an average of 1.3 children. With us, every woman has an average of 1.4 children. So fewer children are born in Portugal than here. The Portuguese are getting fewer and they are getting older. The average age is 43.7 years.
• Urban and rural areas: A larger part of Portugal’s population, namely 65 percent, lives in the city (here: 75 percent). Lisbon, Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia are the biggest cities. The trend towards moving to the city continues. This is also called urbanization or urbanization.

Languages in Portugal

Portuguese is spoken in Portugal. Only in a few villages in northeast Portugal – in Miranda do Douro on the border with Spain – do people speak a dialect called Mirandes. One assigns it to the Asturleonese. It is a language that is spoken in the neighboring region of Spain. The road signs in Miranda do Douro are bilingual in Mirandes and Portuguese.

Portuguese is one of the Romance languages. It has some similarities to Spanish, Italian or French. By the way, Portuguese is spoken not only in Portugal, but also in Brazil and some African countries such as Angola and Mozambique. They were once colonies of Portugal. 240 million people around the world speak Portuguese as their first language.

Portuguese is written in Latin letters – these are the ones we also use. The letters k, w and y are rarely used and did not even belong to the Portuguese alphabet until 2009. However, the following are also used: Á, Â, Ã, А, Ç, É, Ê, Í, Ó, Ô, Õ, Ú, Ü.

By the way, Portuguese sounds very soft and has a musical sound. There are some nasal sounds, namely five vowels and five diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowels. The pronunciation of some consonants is also very different than in German. For example, an “l” is sometimes pronounced like a “u” or an “s” is sometimes pronounced like a “sch”. Incidentally, the “ç” is pronounced like an unvoiced “s”, for example in almoço (lunch).

Religions in Portugal

81 percent of Portuguese belong to the Roman Catholic Church. 3.3 percent belong to other Christian churches. Religious minorities are Jews, Muslims or Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Portugal Overview

Portugal, located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, is renowned for its rich maritime history, stunning beaches, and exquisite cuisine. Its capital city, Lisbon, is known for its colorful neighborhoods, historic monuments like the Belém Tower and São Jorge Castle, and lively Fado music scene. Portugal is famous for its picturesque coastline, with the Algarve region attracting sun-seekers and surfers to its golden beaches and rugged cliffs. The country’s delicious gastronomy, highlighted by dishes like bacalhau (salted cod), pastéis de nata (custard tarts), and port wine, tantalizes food lovers worldwide.

• Capital City: Lisbon
• Population: Approximately 10.3 million
• Area: 92,090 square kilometers
• Full Country Name: Portuguese Republic
• Currency: Euro (EUR)
• Language: Portuguese
• ISO Country Codes: PT, PRT

Bordering Countries of Portugal

Portugal is a small country located in the westernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by Spain to the north and east, as well as by the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The country has an area of 92,212 km2 (35,561 sq mi) and a population of 10.4 million.

To the north, Portugal shares its border with Spain for 1,214 km (753 mi). This border begins in the northwest corner of Portuguese territory at latitude 42°N before turning eastward along longitude 7ºW until it reaches its terminus at latitude 42°N in Portugal’s northeast corner.

To the south lies the Atlantic Ocean where Portugal has a 1,793 km (1,114 mi) coastline. To the west lies an additional 989 km (615 mi) of coastline along which Portugal shares maritime boundaries with several countries including Spain, France and Morocco.

To the east lies another maritime boundary with Spain that spans 812 km (505 mi). This boundary begins at longitude 7ºW in Portugal’s northeast corner before turning southward along parallel 37ºN until reaching its terminus at longitude 4ºW in Portugal’s southeast corner.

In addition to its land borders with Spain and maritime boundaries with other countries, Portugal also shares two small exclaves with Andorra on its northern border – Campo de Ourique and Olhão da Ponte – that have a combined area of 0.8 sq km (0.3 sq mi).