Immigration to Portugal

As of December 2022, Portugal had 1,733,067 inhabitants that were born in a foreign country, out of 10,516,621 inhabitants, accounting for 16.48% of its total population.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} This figure also includes all Portuguese nationals born outside of Portugal. This applies whether they are children of Portuguese citizens living abroad at the time of their birth (for example, in 2021, there were 87,073 Portuguese nationals born in France, the overwhelming majority of Portuguese descent^[16][17][18]) or foreign-born individuals who have acquired Portuguese citizenship through naturalization (359,506 foreign residents have acquired Portuguese citizenship in the last 16 years, of whom 16,985 did so in 2023).^[19][20] Dealing with foreign nationals (inhabitants without Portuguese citizenship, regardless of their country of birth or ethnic background), in 2023 around 1,044,606 foreign citizens lived in Portugal, accounting for 9.82% of Portugal's population. Among foreign nationals, about 35.3% were from Brazil.^[21][22]

In 2019 there were above 590,000 foreigners in Portugal. With the COVID-19 pandemic, that number went up to 661,000 at the end of 2020.^[23] By the end of 2023 their number had soared to 1,044,606 people, accounting for 9.82% of the country's population.^[24] These figures do not include naturalized foreign-born residents, people with temporary protection status (like most Ukrainians), nor illegal immigrants. The number of illegal immigrants, or so-called imigrantes irregulares, is difficult to determine, and is thought to be around 300,000.^{[25][26][27][28]}

Of the 1,044,606 legal residents not holding Portuguese citizenship living in Portugal at the end of 2023, 553,801 identified as male (53%), and 490,437 as female (47%).^[24]

The distribution of foreigners is largely uneven in Portugal: 63.5% of foreign citizens lived in Lisbon, Faro or Setúbal districts: these districts account for 35.2% of the country's population.^[29]

Immigrants in Portugal largely come from Latin America, Eastern Europe, Lusophone nations in Africa, and South Asia. Major groups of immigrants to Portugal include Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdeans, Britons, Indians, Bissau-Guineans, Nepalis, Chinese, São Toméans, Bangladeshis, Ukrainians, Romanians, Pakistanis, US citizens, Russians, Venezuelans, Mozambicans and Moldovans. Brazilians made up the largest foreign community in the country (368,449) followed by Angolans (55,589) and Cape Verdeans (48,885 ).^[24]

As of December 2023, foreign citizens' origins were subdivided as follows: America (38.9%), Europe (26.5%), Asia (16.1%), Africa (18.4%) and Oceania (0.1%).^[30]

The share of children born in Portugal to foreign resident mothers stood at 10.3% in 2011, 9.7% in 2017 and 21.9% in 2023.^[31][32][33] Dealing with children born from foreign-born mothers, their share reached 25% in 2022.^[34]

Due to population ageing, immigration is the only factor that has made the Portuguese population grow in recent years. For instance, despite the natural change from 2018 to 2023 being -208,656 people (meaning that in the given time span the number of deaths exceeded the number of newborns by almost 210 thousand people) the overall population grew by 306,230 people, from 10,333,496 inhabitants as of 2018 to 10,639,726 in 2023. It is safe to say that the 2.96% growth rate experienced by the population of Portugal in the last six years was entirely due to immigration. Many scholars have pointed that, without immigration, the country's population could shrink to as low as 7 million people by 2100. Moreover, Catarina Reis Oliveira, the director of the Portuguese Migration Observatory, highlights in a study that without immigrants, certain sectors of society would face collapse. Immigrants are essential for labor market efficiency, with foreigners in countries like Portugal displaying higher activity rates than nationals, as per the 2022 Annual Statistical Report of the Observatory.^{[35][36][37][38][39]}

Portugal, for long a country of emigration, has become a meeting country of net immigration, and not just from the last Portuguese overseas territories in India (until 1961), Africa (until 1975), and Far East Asia (until 1999).

Retornados, return migration and first immigrant communities: 1954–1989

In 1954, India annexed the Portuguese territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Subsequently, in 1961, India also integrated the territories of Daman and Diu and Goa, thereby bringing an end to Portuguese colonial rule in these areas and fully incorporating them into the Indian Union. In the same year of 1961, significant geopolitical changes were also unfolding in Africa. The newly independent state of Benin expelled the small Portuguese garrison that was stationed at the Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá, located in the town of Ouidah. This fort, historically significant as a center of Portuguese trade and influence in West Africa, was thus reclaimed by the Beninese government, marking an end to Portuguese military presence in the region. Following these events, a significant number of individuals, particularly white Portuguese settlers and people of mixed Portuguese descent, began migrating to Portugal. An important share of those coming from India and settling in Portugal traveled via Karachi, a city hosting an important Goan community. In addition to civilians, the migration included approximately 3,500 Portuguese military officers, who also sought to resettle in Portugal in the aftermath of the decolonization process. In the first two weeks following the annexation of Goa around 1,000 people moved to Portugal by air or by boat.^{[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]} According to a 2017 estimate by Casa de Goa, the association of Goans in Portugal, there were approximately 20,000 people of Goan descent living in the European country. However, other estimates suggest that the community may comprise as many as 50,000 individuals.^[49][50][51] The overwhelming majority of Goan-Portuguese people speak Portuguese as their native language and are Catholic, thus facilitating the integration process that predominantly took place in the 1960s and 1970s, following the annexation of Goa by the Indian Union.^[52][53][54] Despite being just a fraction of the total number of Indians in Portugal (constituting only about 16% of the overall Indian community in Portugal) Goans in are known for being fairly well-integrated. Notably, as early as the 19th century, there were Goan Members of Parliament (e.g. Francisco Gomes) and by 1958 there were 23 university professors and 19 politicians of Goan descent. Interestingly, of the 14 Prime Ministers in Portuguese democratic history, 2 have been of Goan descent: Alfredo Nobre da Costa and António Costa.^[55][56][57] Unlike the community in the United Kingdom, Goans in Portugal are mainly of upper class extraction and are highly qualified professionals. Later, they were joined by migrants of Goan descent from the African colonies, especially Mozambique.^{[58][59][60][61][62][63]} On the other hand, Gujarati speakers from Daman and Diu tend to show lower level of integration, with a large community found in Marvila, Lisbon.^[64][65] In the late 1960s Portugal also saw a small influx of people of Portuguese descent relocating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.^[66]

A major immigrant influx and - to date, the largest process of immigration in Portuguese history - was recorded starting in 1974, when over a million Portuguese citizens from Portugal's African territories (mostly from Angola and Mozambique) migrated to Portugal.^[67] They are known and are still referred as retornados (meaning "those who came back") — Portuguese settlers and descendants of Portuguese (or other European such as Germans or Italians) settlers born in former African colonies who relocated to Portugal after their independence and in the first half of the 1980s. Due to the Portuguese colonization, white and mestiço people were frowned upon, in many cases white Luso-Africans experienced racist incidents. In particular, due to the outbreak of the Angolan Civil War, Portuguese in Angola left en masse, often having to leave all of their possessions behind and being allowed to exit the country with only 15,000 escudos to start a new life; this is the equivalent of approximately euros (€) 2,870 as of 2023. Of those leaving Mozambique, many of the retornados were part of the Indian community in the country. Along with white retornados there were also some Black people as well.^{[68][69][70][71][72][73]} After almost 50 years, according to the 2021 Portuguese census, there were still 240,499 retornados alive who were residing in Portugal and who had fled Africa in the 1970s.^[74]

In the second half of the 1980s, immigration towards Portugal by people of African descent became visible, especially because of the Portuguese economic growth and the worsening of the conditions in Angola and Mozambique due to the respective civil wars that were fought in the two countries. One of the primary settlement areas for Black communities in Portugal, especially the Cape Verdean one, were the lands north of Lisbon, near the present-day parish of Benfica and the present-day municipalities of Amadora and Odivelas. Starting from the 1970s, numerous clandestine neighborhoods (bairros clandestinos) emerged here, often lacking basic services and plagued by crime-related issues.^[75] From 1993 onwards, with Portugal's slum eradication program, many people have been provided with alternative public housing and, despite the initial discrimination, many have nowadays found success.^[76][77][78]

A country of immigration: 1990–2007

Immigration to Portugal, which had been historically low, increased after the country's accession to the EU in 1986 and soared significantly starting in the late 1990s, also under form of human trafficking.^[79][80]

Since the 1990s, along with a boom in construction, several waves of Ukrainians, Brazilians, people from the former Portuguese colonies in Africa and other Africans have settled in the country. Those communities currently make up the largest share of immigrants in Portugal and many have since acquired Portuguese citizenship. In particular, Ukrainian migration to Portugal commenced in the late 1990s, experiencing significant growth in the early 2000s. Initially, immigrants arrived through both organized and illegal channels, often with Schengen visas. While some initially intended short stays, many chose long-term residence, establishing families and pursuing the recognition of their qualifications for access to higher-paying jobs.^[81][82][83]

In addition, Romanians, Moldovans, Chinese and Indians also started to choose Portugal as a destination starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Moreover, it is important to highlight that in 1999 Macau was returned to China (Handover of Macau) and many Macanese moved to Portugal: in a 1989 survey, 65% of the Macanese people were planning to leave Macau for Portugal or elsewhere.^[84][85][86] According to a 1991 survey 70% of Macanese were planning to move elsewhere, with 63.5% of these planning to move to Portugal. In 1991, there were already 500 Macanese families living in Lisbon.^{[87][88][89][90]}

Financial crisis and economic recession: 2008–2013

Immigration to Portugal decreased significantly after the dire consequences of the 2008 financial crisis. At the same time, emigration of both Portuguese and foreign nationals increased. Dealing with the Ukrainian community, for instance, declining investment in public projects and improved immigration control prompted many Ukrainians to leave.^[91]

Between 2008 and 2013 unemployment rate in Portugal rose from 7.6% to 17.1%^[92] and 2013 GDP was 7.60% lower than the value recorded for 2007 GDP.^[93] Moreover, between 2007 and 2013 there was a 10.35% inflation rate, meaning that the Purchasing power of Portuguese families decreased significantly.^[94] From 2008 to 2013, around 412,000 people left the country (51.2% did so permanently).^[95] Of those who left the country 5.47% (22,547 people) were foreigners and 65.3% of the foreigners doing so left the country permanently. This means that 3.9% of the 2008 population left the country in just 6 years.

In fact, Portugal reached its historical population peak - up until 2023^[96] - in 2009 when 10,573,479 people lived in the country: this value decreased to 10,395,121 people (−1.7%) at the end of 2013, due to the combined effect of increased emigration, decreasing immigration and population ageing.^[97] It is significant to highlight that only 140,845 people immigrated to Portugal between 2008 and 2013 meaning that the country experienced a net migration loss of around −271,000. In particular, in 2012 less than 15,000 immigrants permanently settled in Portugal.^[98]

With the ease of the economic crisis and increase in tourism and industrial production, immigration increased again after 2013.

Economic recovery, NHR, EU pensioners, Golden Visa and Sephardi Jews: 2014–2019

Following the recovery of the Portuguese economy starting in 2014, immigration to Portugal increased once again. From 2014 to 2019, emigration decreased by 42.8% while immigration increased by 413%.^[98]

Between 2013 and 2019 the unemployment rate in Portugal fell from 17.1% to 6.6%^[92] and 2019 GDP was 14.35% higher than the value recorded for 2013 GDP. It is also worth noting that the value recorded for 2019 GDP was 5.71% higher than the one recorded in 2007: Portugal officially recovered from the Financial crisis and the troika austerity measures in 2017.^[93] Moreover, between 2014 and 2019 the increase in prices was modest (the country recorded a 3.54% inflation rate), meaning that the Purchasing power of Portuguese families increased significantly.^[94]

During these years, almost 573,000 people left the country: despite Portugal's reputation as an economic success story since the financial crisis, many young, educated workers are still more attracted by significantly higher wages in countries such as the United Kingdom, France or Switzerland.^[99] On the other hand, it is significant to note that the share of those leaving permanently fell to 38.4%, meaning that high skilled workers are, after 2013, more willing to come back to Portugal after having acquired some years of experience, typically in Northern European countries.^[95] As a measure to revert skill-drain, population decrease and ageing, the government has since created new measures to attract Portuguese emigrants to return home.^[100]

Of those who left the country 3.96% (22,685 people) were foreigners but only 31.4% of them left the country permanently. This means that although 5.5% of the 2013 population left the country in 6 years (2014–2019), the majority of them - or 61.6% - did so temporarily, meaning for less than one year.^[97] After 2014 the country's population decline rate started to slow. The population still fell to 10,333,496 people in 2018 - equivalent to the country's population in January 2000 - but it was mostly due to population ageing. On the other hand, it is worth noting that by the end of 2019, due increasing immigration, Portugal's population had recovered the value recorded in 2014 (around 10,395,000).^[97]

It is significant to highlight that around 295,000 people immigrated permanently to Portugal between 2014 and 2019. In particular, 51.1% of those who settled in Portugal in this period did so between 2018 and 2019.^[98] The surge in immigration was due to the good economic conditions of the country, to the crisis in Brazil (the primary source of immigration in Portugal) and to numerous programs devised during the years of the 2008–2013 crisis aimed at attracting foreign capitals: these include the Non-habitual residency (NHR) taxation law (2009), the Portuguese Golden Visa law (2012), and the Sephardi Nationality Act (2015).

The Portuguese government has thus not only developed strategies aiming at calling back Portuguese emigrants but also at attracting foreign citizens.

It is with this goal that in 2009 was devised a program that has attracted foreigners, particularly since 2013: it is the special tributary regime that grants to certain categories of new residents a flat tax and protects them from double taxation (NHR).^[101] Many pensioners, especially from Northern European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Norway have taken advantage of the law and moved to Portugal. Due to increased pressure from the countries of origin of the retirees as well as from the local Portuguese population (subject to a different taxation system) the program was drastically changed.^{[102][103][104][105][106]} Nevertheless, pensioners continue coming to Portugal thanks to the high quality of life, Mediterranean climate and sunny weather.

Another program is the Golden visa law, devised in 2012. It is an immigrant investor program by the government of Portugal that granted residency in Portugal to people who invested in properties worth at least €500,000 or created 10 jobs in Portugal.^[107] As of September 2023 the program has resulted in 33,142 residence permits granted, of which 38.4% to investors and 61.6% to their family members. 42.5% of the investors who have benefited from the program came from China, other significant countries include Brazil (9.88%), the US (6.14%), Turkey (4.82%) and South Africa (4.51%). Around 6.5 billion euros (€) were invested in the acquisition of 11,383 real estate properties (for a mean value of 566,754 €), but only 23 jobs were created.^[108] In addition, around 867 million euros (€) were transferred to Portugal.^[109] Due to the overwhelming majority of Golden visas being issued because of investments solely and exclusively dedicated to real estate and there being a very low investment in job creation and other activities adding value to the economy, the program has been cancelled in July 2023.^[110][111]

A last measure that has boosted immigration to Portugal has been the law aimed at the descendants of Portuguese Jews expelled in 1496. In 2015 the Portuguese parliament officially acknowledged the expulsion as unrightful. To try to make up for the past mistakes, the government passed a law known as "Law of Return".^[112] The law aims to right the historic wrongs of the Portuguese Inquisition, which resulted in the expulsion or forced conversion of thousands of Jews from Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries. The law grants citizenship to any descendants of those persecuted Jews who can prove their Sephardic Jewish ancestry and a "connection" to Portugal. It is intended to provide a measure of justice and recognition to those whose families suffered from discrimination and persecution centuries ago.^{[113][114][115][116]} Since 2015, more than 262,000 people from 60 countries (mostly from Israel or Turkey) applied to Portuguese citizenship in virtue of them being of Sephardic descent, of which 75,000 (or 28.63% of the applicants) were granted Portuguese passports.^{[117][118][119][120][121]} According to a 2023 estimate, there might be already 15,000 Portuguese-Israelis living in Portugal.^[122] Despite the good intentions of the law, some doubts arose over the legitimate attribution of Portuguese citizenship after it was revealed that people such as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich were Portuguese – thus EU – citizens under the new law. Due to the controversies and the recent judicial investigations the law will come to an end starting in December 2024.^{[123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130]}

COVID-19 pandemic and increase in immigration: 2020–2022

Immigration to Portugal has steadily increased in the last years. At the beginning of 2020 there were 590,348 foreigners living in the country, their number increased to 662,095 at the end of 2020, to 698,887 at the end of 2021 and up to 781,915 at the end of 2022. This means that the relative incidence of foreigners has increased from 5.7% to 7.5% in just 3 years. From December 2019 to December 2022 the number of foreigners increased by 32.4%.

Some immigrant communities, like those arrived from Africa and South America, are growing as a result of economic migration – foreigners looking for better economic conditions abroad. The outlook of the economy of Portugal is good, unemployment remains stable and in line with the rest of the EU. In fact, since 2018 Portugal has recorded a lower unemployment rate than that recorded in both the Eurozone and the EU as a whole. For instance, in 2022 the unemployment rate in Portugal stood at 6%, while for the EU and the Eurozone the recorded values were respectively 6.2% and 6.8%.^[92][134] In addition, despite suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, the GDP recorded for 2022 was 3.22% higher than in 2019.^[93]

Other immigrant communities, like most of those arrived from other EU member states, are a result of the attractiveness of the country for high income foreign citizens looking for a better quality of life, a warmer sunny weather, security and exquisite cuisine.

From 2020 to 2022 around 205,909 people emigrated from Portugal, continuing the decrease in emigration recorded since 2014. This means that 2.0% of the 2019 population left the country in the last 3 years but 60.2% did so temporarily, meaning for less than one year.^[97] Moreover, it is worth noting that almost 300,000 people entered the country permanently since 2019, a sharp increase and the largest influx of immigrants ever recorded in Portugal since the 1980s.^[98]

Despite the surge in immigration, it is, however, worth noting that in 2023, Portugal was still the European country with the most emigrants in relative terms. In the last 20 years,15 per cent of the population emigrated. Portugal had the highest proportion of emigrants in Europe and ranked eighth globally in terms of the percentage of its population who migrated.^{[135][136][137]}

Lusophone migrants act and end of Golden visa, NHR and nationality for Sephardi Jews: 2023–present

It is expected that the number of foreigners will further increase in the next few years: in early 2023, Portugal regularized around 113,000 CPLP citizens residing illegally in the country.^[138][139] By September the number of Portuguese-speaking immigrants who have received an "authorisation of residence" -valid for one year and automatically renewed for those with clean criminal record - had reached 151,000 people, of whom 75% are Brazilians.^{[140][141][142][143]} In total, it was reported that in February 2023 around 300,000 foreigners who live illegally in Portugal were awaiting regularization.^[28] By November of the same year, the number of those awaiting for regularization had soared to 700,000 people.^[144] The Portuguese government had introduced, since the 2008 financial crisis, a number of measures aimed at attracting foreign capitals to the country. In particular, there have been the Non-habitual residency (NHR) taxation law (2009), the Portuguese Golden Visa law (2012), and the Sephardi Nationality Act (2015). Due to both international and internal pressure but also due to the economic recovery of the country, in 2023 it was announced that all three programs would have been phased out by the end of 2024.

The NHR, a scheme offering a flat tax and protection from double taxation for specific categories of new residents relocating to Portugal, underwent significant changes in 2020. This adjustment was prompted by an influx of pensioners, particularly from Nordic countries, who were moving to Portugal to take advantage of a fiscal regime that was deemed disadvantageous to their home countries. The Portuguese government has announced the end the 10-year tax incentive regime for non-permanent residents, including digital nomads, in 2024. Prime Minister António Costa stated that the regime will persist for current beneficiaries. Costa argued that maintaining differentiated tax levels for non-permanent residents would perpetuate fiscal injustice and inflate the real estate market. As of July 2023, 89,000 foreigners were benefiting from the non-permanent resident tax regime.^{[145][146][147]}

Regarding the Golden Visa program, initiated in 2012, was officially terminated in October 2023 due to the Mais Habitação program, and new applications are no longer being accepted. The decision to end the program, aimed at foreigners purchasing real estate, was influenced by the escalating housing prices. The new law doesn't impact renewals but marks the end of new permits for investment activities. The Mais Habitação program, which faced opposition but was approved in July, includes measures like rent caps and restrictions on property sales to non-residents, leading to public protests.^[148] There are still around 21,000 pending processes, of which around two thirds deal with family reunification.^[149]

In 2023 it was also announced the end of the Law permitting people of Portuguese-Jewish descent to acquire Portuguese citizenship. Since 2013 around 262,000 people have requested to be naturalized as Portuguese citizens due to their Sephardi ancestry, with almost half being Israeli nationals. Of these, more than 75,000 have already acquired the Portuguese citizenship. Since the announcement of the end of the law in 2023, around 74,000 people have started their application process.^{[150][151][152]} Amongst those who have acquired Portuguese citizenship there are 12 Israeli national football players.^[153]

Despite the end of the abovementioned programs, the number of foreign nationals living in Portugal has witnessed a significant increase during 2023: by September there were 980,000 foreigners living in Portugal.^[154] By December, the number had increased to a further 1,040,000 people, a 40% increase since January of the same year with 329,000 new residence permits given during 2023.^{[155][156][157]} Of the foreigners living in Portugal, 35% were Brazilians: taking into account also Luso-Brazilians nationals and Brazilians awaiting for regularization, there are 750,000 Brazilians estimated living in Portugal.^[158] It is also worth noting that in July 2023 the Portuguese government sent abroad - for the first time - officials to recruit workers in India, Morocco, Timor-Leste and Cabo Verde.^[159]

It is estimated that in the 2024/2025 school year, amongst 83,134 pupils entering Portuguese public schooling system, 10,297 will be foreign nationals, representing 12.4% of the total and an increase of 1,160 pupils from 2023/24.^[160] The increase in the number of foreigners was also recorded for the 2024/25 university applications received by Portuguese institutions by early 2024.^[161]

Brazilians are the most prevalent foreign nationality. The 368,449 resident Brazilians represent 35.3% of the total foreign population.^[24] In addition to that, Brazilians also represent 40% of Italian passport holders living in Portugal.^[162] Other significant foreign communities (excluding naturalized citizens) are the ones from other countries of the Lusosphere. In 2023 there were 171,651 from the 6 PALOP countries (Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Principe, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde), in adittion to 1,199 people from Timor-Leste.^[24]

There is also a thriving community of people from the Indian subcontinent (chiefly Indians and Nepalis) adding up to 117,048 people.^[24]

A number of EU citizens have also chosen Portugal as a destination, with the majority being part of the Italian, French, Romanian, German or Spanish communities.^[24] These communities are mostly composed of persons looking for quality of life and include an increasing number of pensioners.

The listed figures only take in account foreign residents legally living in the country and exclude foreigners who have acquired Portuguese citizenship as well as double citizens.

For instance, while according to Portuguese authorities there were around 37,000 resident Cape Verdeans in the country, according to official Cape Verdean figures the number of Cape Verdeans in Portugal could be as high as 260,000.^[163][164] The discrepancy could be due to the fact that since 2008 around 55,000 Cape Verdeans have naturalised as Portuguese, that kids of foreign citizens legally living in Portugal acquire Portuguese citizenship at birth and lastly that the overwhelming majority of the community are by now second or third generation immigrants.^[165][166]

N°	Country of citizenship	Number of foreign citizens in 2023[24]
1	Brazil	368,449
2	Angola	55,589
3	Cape Verde	48,885
4	United Kingdom (including BOTs)	47,492
5	India	44,051
6	Italy	36,227
7	Guinea-Bissau	32,535
8	Nepal	29,972
9	China (including SARs)	28,127
10	France	27,549
11	São Tomé and Príncipe	26,460
12	Bangladesh	25,666
13	Ukraine	23,499
14	Germany	22,858
15	Romania	20,881
16	Spain	20,573
17	Pakistan	17,148
18	United States	14,126
19	Netherlands	13,593
20	Russia	10,901
21	Venezuela	9,300
22	Mozambique	8,127
23	Belgium	6,723
24	Sweden	6,070
25	Ireland	5,450
26	Moldova	5,156

The following table shows the evolution of the number of foreigners whose residence is legally registered in Portugal from January 2008 to January 2016. The table considers the most frequent foreign nationalities found in the country and deals with foreigners only, thus excluding those who have acquired Portuguese citizenship, their descendants and people with migrant background.^[172]

During the given timespan, the number of foreigners in Portugal fell from 446,333 to 388,731, recording a 12.89% loss in eight years. In fact, Portugal was particularly hit by the 2008 Global recession. It is indeed worth noting that between 2008 and 2013, Portugal experienced a notable uptick in its unemployment rate, escalating from 7.6% to 17.1%. The GDP in 2013 saw a marked 7.60% decline compared to its 2007 value. During this period, inflation reached 10.35%, substantially eroding the purchasing power of Portuguese households. Of those who were obliged to leave the country 5.47% or 22,547 people were foreign nationals and 65.3% of the foreigners doing so left the country permanently.^[92][94][93] Despite the crisis and the subsequent emigration, one of the main reasons for the reduction in the number of foreigners in Portugal is due to the high number of naturalisations: 179,458 foreigners became Portuguese from January 2008 to December 2015.^[20]

Dealing with the main foreign communities, one can see that:^[20]

1. Communities whose decline is mostly attributable to citizenship acquisition:
   • Between 2008 and 2016, the Cape Verdean population in Portugal decreased by 25,993. Yet, during the same period, 31,970 Cape Verdeans gained Portuguese citizenship, resulting in a net gain of 5,977 of recent Cape Verdean migrant background;
   • From 2009 to 2016, the number of Ukrainians in Portugal fell by 16,715. However, 18,206 Ukrainians became Portuguese citizens, resulting in a net increase of 1,491 people of recent Ukrainian migrant background;
   • Between 2008 and 2016, the Angolan community in Portugal reduced by 14,572, but 14,945 Angolans acquired Portuguese citizenship, roughly maintaining the community of recent Angolan migrant background size (+373);
   • From 2010 to 2016, the Guinean-Bissau community shrank by 7,948, yet 16,284 Guinean-Bissauans became Portuguese, resulting in a net growth of 8,336 of recent Guinean-Bissau migrant background;
   • From 2009 to 2016 the São Tomé e Príncipe community declined by 2,171 people. Since during the same timespan 7,185 San Tomeans acquired Portuguese citizenship, the community of people of recent São Tomé e Príncipe migrant background in the country actually increased by 5,014 people;
   • From 2009 to 2016 the Senegalese community declined by 558 people. Since during the same timespan 1,205 Senegalese acquired Portuguese citizenship, the community of people of recent Senegalese migrant background in the country actually increased by 647 people;
   • From 2010 to 2016, the Georgian community decreased by 445. However, 644 Georgians gained Portuguese citizenship, resulting in a net growth of 199 people of recent Georgian migrant background;
   • Between 2009 and 2016, the Belarusian community shrank by 384. Yet, 412 Belarusians became Portuguese citizens, maintaining community size;
   • Between 2009 and 2016, the Guinean community in Portugal decreased by 325. Nevertheless, 2,201 Guineans became Portuguese citizens, leading to a net increase of 1,876 of recent Guinean migrant background;
   • From 2009 to 2016, the Ecuadorian community fell by 211. Nevertheless, 289 Ecuadorians acquired Portuguese citizenship, keeping the community size stable.
2. Communities whose decline is mostly attributable to other factors such as emigration:
   • Between January 2011 and January 2016, the number of Brazilians residing in Portugal decreased by 36,773. During the same period, 26,100 Brazilians acquired Portuguese nationality, indicating that, considering both natural changes (such as births and deaths) and the influx of migrants, Portugal saw a net loss of 10,673 people of recent Brazilian background;
   • From 2009 to 2016 the Moldovan community in Portugal declined by 14,199 people: this is mostly attributable to the fact that 14,082 Moldovans became Portuguese during the given period, even though the migration deficit suggests a net decrease of 117 people of recent Moldovan background.
   • Between 2008 and 2016 the number of English people fell by 6,341. Since only 127 Britons became Portuguese nationals during the same period, this means the British community fell by 6,214 people;
   • Between 2008 and 2016 the number of Mozambicans fell by 3,145. Since 1,615 Mozambicans became Portuguese nationals during the same period, this means the Mozambican community fell by 1,530 people;
   • Between 2008 and 2016 the number of French people fell by 2,099. Since only 178 French became Portuguese nationals during the same period, this means the French community fell by 1,921 people.

Country	2008[173][174]	2009[175][174]	2010[176][174]	2011[177][174]	2012[178][174]	2013[179][174]	2014[180][174]	2015[181][174]	2016[182][174]
Brazil	70,132	106,961	116,220	119,363	111,445	105,622	92,120	87,493	82,590
United Kingdom	23,574	15,372	16,374	17,202	17,681	16,655	16,474	16,562	17,233
Cape Verde	64,667	51,353	48,845	43,979	43,920	42,857	42,401	40,912	38,674
India	4,401	5,519	5,782	5,271	5,384	5,657	6,022	6,421	6,935
Angola	32,819	27,619	26,557	23,494	21,563	20,366	20,177	19,710	18,247
Italy	5,994	3,915	4,500	5,067	5,338	5,222	5,121	5,328	6,130
France	10,540	4,576	4,883	5,111	5,293	5,201	5,268	6,542	8,441
Ukraine	39,606	52,494	52,293	49,505	48,022	44,074	41,091	37,852	35,779
Nepal	314	560	685	797	1,145	1,702	2,588	3,544	4,798
Guinea-Bissau	25,039	24,390	22,945	19,817	18,487	17,759	17,846	17,981	17,091
Romania	19,280	27,769	32,457	36,830	39,312	35,216	34,204	31,505	30,523
China	10,982	13,347	14,412	15,714	16,795	17,460	18,681	21,453	21,376
Germany	15,493	8,187	8,614	8,967	9,054	8,606	8,581	8,752	9,035
Spain	18,031	7,220	8,060	8,918	9,310	9,351	9,541	9,692	10,019
Bangladesh	1,193	1,577	1,346	1,007	1,149	1,351	1,733	2,074	2,571
São Tomé and Príncipe	11,015	11,726	11,514	10,516	10,518	10,376	10,304	10,167	9,555
Netherlands	6,598	4,360	4,577	4,725	4,862	4,848	4,991	5,262	5,855
Pakistan	2,383	2,736	2,698	2,604	2,474	2,425	2,628	2,785	3,042
United States	8,733	2,373	2,293	2,236	2,332	2,427	2,785	2,728	2,619
Venezuela	3,740	2,364	2,169	2,009	1,999	1,945	1,898	1,913	2,010
Belgium	3,101	1,560	1,609	1,707	1,752	1,771	1,881	2,105	2,388
Russia	5,674	6,191	6,132	5,299	4,878	4,581	4,428	4,404	4,260
Sweden	1,655	699	746	804	918	977	1,189	1,415	1,989
Moldova	14,813	21,147	20,773	15,641	13,586	11,503	9,971	8,460	6,948
Bulgaria	5,076	6,456	7,202	8,174	8,606	7,439	7,553	7,037	6,722
Mozambique	5,954	3,372	3,328	3,122	3,028	2,909	2,849	2,832	2,809
Poland	913	925	1,042	1,195	1,280	1,222	1,238	1,307	1,382
Ireland	887	616	707	813	862	838	805	823	892
Switzerland	1,842	1,011	1,003	1,036	1,030	1,025	1,055	1,104	1,263
Morocco	1,928	1,870	1,933	1,779	1,796	1,756	1,808	1,731	1,681
South Africa	2,116	597	589	580	582	573	560	620	635
Colombia	675	591	592	586	759	855	866	869	907
Senegal	1,966	2,073	1,778	1,677	1,626	1,631	1,670	1,629	1,515
Thailand	193	278	455	722	922	1,009	1,021	1,169	1,428
Iran	632	177	215	261	339	447	499	525	545
Austria	827	422	445	494	522	510	537	561	607
Canada	1,992	785	701	721	723	746	732	741	738
Denmark	1,075	432	468	464	487	500	515	525	575
Cuba	731	802	850	816	795	803	841	917	901
Turkey	310	286	322	404	440	537	431	650	596
Uzbekistan	604	851	951	1,075	1,104	1,119	1,081	1,024	992
Hungary	386	333	352	428	435	414	424	482	480
Finland	702	354	354	374	395	391	397	543	834
Philippines	496	475	491	540	586	623	638	668	756
Syria	96	24	25	25	24	34	73	144	164
Guinea	1,847	1,851	1,848	1,409	1,549	1,603	1,621	1,600	1,526
Norway	834	375	379	428	432	436	455	490	515
Argentina	717	474	498	494	487	485	462	461	447
Nigeria	354	281	299	286	325	350	365	424	428
Algeria	231	224	231	253	248	257	288	308	316
Lithuania	430	505	558	614	546	542	532	532	535
Greece	252	139	157	163	178	161	170	191	248
Indonesia	38	53	72	99	98	130	130	130	140
Mexico	363	245	281	310	311	326	385	413	433
Afghanistan	5	1	2	3	5	27	31	34	41
Kazakhstan	598	740	748	740	704	666	623	582	537
Latvia	193	240	311	383	370	361	335	313	333
Czech Republic	313	202	223	251	231	210	231	264	274
Belarus	782	1,016	1,002	910	823	758	744	695	632
Tunisia	124	123	136	132	130	128	162	171	176
Australia	544	230	220	218	224	226	252	263	269
Egypt	358	409	394	333	313	299	321	329	298
Peru	325	260	282	267	277	282	294	278	256
Equador	427	503	471	419	364	338	325	298	292
Luxembourg	165	124	130	137	130	128	122	142	144
Lebanon	206	57	46	47	51	72	95	167	162
Chile	301	177	210	213	218	205	173	165	183
Israel	137	72	66	71	78	84	92	94	108
Japan	976	383	377	368	385	392	393	386	397
Iraq	157	30	40	36	44	84	93	125	126
Slovakia	187	173	197	208	198	171	174	156	164
Georgia	868	1,128	1,172	1,098	1,040	949	902	847	727
Vietnam	15	18	56	79	67	108	65	78	77
Croatia	154	80	76	84	85	86	101	141	174
Gambia	90	116	116	110	119	139	157	163	152
Estonia	86	79	111	113	114	104	109	111	121
Timor Leste	86	77	111	158	177	303	245	201	169
Jordan	92	34	33	36	33	40	49	73	138
Serbia	380	287	249	219	186	215	213	195	192
Cameroon	79	72	84	76	72	95	108	132	127
Slovenia	57	44	49	60	61	60	71	82	96
DRC	425	210	184	171	178	238	243	234	235
South Korea	263	131	144	146	155	170	156	187	182
Uruguay	154	126	128	135	126	126	128	123	122
Ghana	202	213	197	169	156	147	145	143	137
Ivory Coast	157	123	120	118	100	115	117	120	121
Dominican Republic	92	64	70	86	98	114	133	136	132
Eritrea	0	2	4	1	5	38	35	35	40
Sudan	16	7	7	7	9	29	34	32	38
Cyprus	3	8	11	11	12	12	13	11	12
Paraguay	47	47	71	88	83	89	99	97	92
Iceland	68	31	34	42	47	53	51	59	62
Bolivia	99	107	118	117	128	120	116	116	109
Sierra Leone	115	54	59	55	47	48	55	52	63
New Zealand	79	35	33	35	30	33	33	42	39
Malta	14	17	22	17	24	20	18	22	25
Sri Lanka	3	16	18	18	17	38	47	54	60
Libya	54	24	10	13	16	27	60	116	196
Malaysia	59	33	34	29	38	34	37	50	59
Kenya	311	60	50	41	40	45	58	54	64
Singapore	46	13	15	21	27	22	29	32	28
Costa Rica	22	19	22	56	54	52	53	59	53
Albania	60	53	42	37	36	36	33	34	42
Armenia	61	88	83	94	88	73	81	80	74
Guatemala	35	25	31	36	39	45	45	49	51
Panama	38	33	31	32	39	39	28	32	27
Zimbabwe	92	39	37	33	26	25	29	32	38
Congo	134	131	120	91	93	91	83	78	64
Mali	115	108	95	79	66	62	57	58	45
El Salvador	17	21	23	30	39	37	34	32	36
South Sudan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Somalia	1	1	0	0	1	58	63	55	54
Ethiopia	22	27	27	30	38	56	51	56	51
Azerbaijan	10	23	19	17	25	25	34	42	46
Togo	55	83	67	50	37	37	32	32	35
North Macedonia	51	19	20	11	12	21	15	21	27
Palestine	23	23	23	33	32	32	35	57	52
Honduras	17	15	18	25	25	27	23	24	30
Bosnia and Herzegovina	127	50	50	47	40	59	56	50	57
Nicaragua	13	12	15	21	20	19	18	18	16
Saudi Arabia	23	15	9	6	7	9	18	47	20
Taiwan	8	18	23	26	35	42	34	36	36
Saint Kitts and Nevis	2	0	0	0	0	0	7	20	15
Tanzania	335	63	57	54	45	48	43	38	32
Cambodia	0	0	35	10	8	10	12	12	10
Uganda	14	12	11	8	8	11	18	21	18
Equatorial Guinea	33	12	10	7	9	9	9	60	51
Namibia	10	12	12	15	15	16	13	16	18
Tajikistan	3	1	2	3	3	5	8	10	15
Mauritius	13	7	6	4	6	9	10	16	17
Kyrgyzstan	49	55	50	41	42	38	30	33	31
Yemen	2	3	9	9	9	13	14	13	18
Gabon	8	12	13	13	10	15	13	31	17
Rwanda	33	20	25	14	16	22	23	18	20
Zambia	14	9	8	8	8	11	7	7	7
Mauritania	53	41	39	33	30	28	26	24	24
Burkina Faso	12	14	16	16	15	12	11	12	13
Kosovo	0	1	13	10	10	14	13	15	27
Kuwait	19	2	2	2	1	1	1	4	1
Mongolia	4	15	16	19	23	25	23	22	32
Benin	28	35	33	32	26	24	14	12	12
Unknown	17	54	48	29	34	22	19	14	14
Haiti	4	1	6	7	7	2	4	5	5
Montenegro	16	9	9	7	9	8	5	6	9
Stateless	273	31	0	0	13	18	14	11	0
Liberia	43	29	20	17	15	18	15	19	16
Malawi	27	6	9	9	9	11	11	9	12
Andorra	15	2	2	2	3	3	2	3	3
Trinidad and Tobago	21	4	9	6	5	8	10	11	8
Botswana	11	4	5	5	5	6	6	7	7
Jamaica	17	15	12	10	11	9	8	12	12
Madagascar	18	16	15	10	10	7	6	8	9
Dominica	3	13	11	8	9	9	8	8	7
Eswatini	16	10	9	10	11	11	9	7	8
Bahrain	16	0	1	1	1	1	1	5	4
Turkmenistan	4	3	3	3	7	5	4	4	12
Bhutan	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1
United Arab Emirates	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	8	5
Niger	0	2	2	0	0	1	2	4	6
Liechtenstein	5	4	4	4	3	1	1	2	3
Central African Republic	5	5	5	5	4	4	10	11	7
Guyana	25	4	7	4	3	3	4	4	4
Maldives	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3
Myanmar	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	4	7
Antigua and Barbuda	0	0	0	0	1	2	2	1	1
Qatar	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Burundi	2	1	2	2	1	4	5	7	6
Seychelles	4	2	4	4	4	4	4	3	6
Grenada	3	3	3	3	5	3	4	4	4
Suriname	6	5	3	2	2	1	1	1	0
Other countries (below 5)	57	45	35	43	40	44	29	29	21
Total foreigners	446,333	440,277	454,191	445,262	436,822	417,042	401,320	395,195	388,731
Share of the population[183]	4.23%	4.17%	4.30%	4.21%	4.14%	3.98%	3.85%	3.81%	3.76%