More than 782,000 people emigrated from Portugal between 2021 and 2025, according to estimates by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), which include both Portuguese and foreign residents, ECO News reports.

According to Público, this figure is significantly higher than the Emigration Observatory’s previous estimate of up to 350,000 departures during the same period.

The revised figures show that emigration increased from 120,806 departures in 2021 to 188,871 in 2024, before declining slightly to 179,948 in 2025, according to INE data published by PORDATA. The highest number of departures was therefore recorded in 2024.

New methodology raises questions

Rui Pena Pires, former president of the Emigration Observatory, explained that the INE previously relied on employment surveys but now uses administrative data. “The method the INE now uses is much better,” he said.

However, the Observatory’s figures only included the legal emigration of Portuguese citizens, while the INE also accounts for foreign nationals who are no longer registered in Portugal.

In 2025, the INE recorded 179,948 permanent emigrants, including 95,365 foreign nationals. Nevertheless, Pena Pires questioned the accuracy of these departures, noting that the disappearance of administrative records does not necessarily mean individuals have returned to their countries of origin or emigrated permanently. He also highlighted the possibility of foreigners leaving and subsequently re-entering Portugal irregularly.

According to The Portugal Brief, INE data show that 407,765 Portuguese citizens and 374,452 foreign nationals emigrated between 2021 and 2025.

Young adults

Young adults represented a significant proportion of emigrants in 2025, with 89,246 people aged between 20 and 39, accounting for approximately half of all departures. The largest age group was 25 to 29, with 28,518 emigrants.

Men also accounted for more departures than women, with 104,478 male emigrants compared to 75,470 female emigrants.

Immigration exceeds emigration

Despite the high number of departures, immigration continued to exceed emigration throughout the five-year period.

According to the INE, Portugal recorded 1,829,662 permanent immigrants between 2021 and 2025, including 449,296 Portuguese nationals.

Immigration peaked in 2022, with 495,979 arrivals, before declining to 254,253 in 2025.

As a result, the difference between arrivals and departures narrowed considerably, from more than 367,000 in 2022 to approximately 74,000 in 2025.

The revised methodology has also affected Portugal’s population estimates. According to ECO, the INE calculated that the country had 11.4 million residents at the end of 2025, including approximately 1.6 million foreign nationals, representing 14% of the population.

Between 2021 and 2025, Portugal’s resident population increased by approximately 825,000 people, with the largest increases recorded between 2022 and 2024. The INE attributes the revised estimates to the integration of administrative records, allowing for more detailed population statistics.

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