The number of foreign residents in Portugal has risen by 37% in a decade, according to the latest data from the 2021 census published by the National Statistics Institute (INE). 

At the time of the census, 542,314 people of other nationalities were living in Portugal, making up 5.2% of the population, an increase from the 3.7% recorded in 2011. 

The largest foreign community in Portugal are from Brazil, totalling 199,810 people (36.8%), followed by residents from Angola with 31,556 (5.8%) and Cape Verde with 27,144 residents (5%). 

In addition, the National Statistics Institute emphasises the “strong growth that has taken place” within certain foreign communities. These include residents from Nepal, rising from 959 people in 2011 to 13,224 last year, as well as Bangladesh, increasing from 853 a decade ago to 9,150 in 2021. 

Furthermore, the findings of the 2021 census revealed that 1,608,094 Portuguese citizens living overseas returned to Portugal, with the most representative countries of origin being France (23.2%), Angola (14%), Switzerland (8.1%), Brazil (7.2%), Mozambique (6.5%) and Germany (6.3%), The Portugal News reports. 

Last year, the percentage of the elderly population in Portugal (over 65) made up 23.4% of the total, with the under-14s representing just 12.9%. The so-called ageing index – elderly people per 100 people – increased from 128 in 2011 to 182 last year.

“The low birth rate and the increase in longevity that has occurred in recent decades are reflected in the age pyramid corresponding to the 2021 censuses, which, from 2011 to 2021, shows a narrowing of the base age groups and an expansion in the most advanced ages,” according to the INE findings. 

Moreover, the final data shows “the sustainability and rejuvenation of the active population also worsened” over the last decade. 

The rejuvenation index of the active population in Portugal last year stood at 76, indicating that for every 100 people leaving the jobs market, just 76 joined, the INE added.