Portugal Government News Headlines

The Industrial Producer Price Index (IPPI) recorded a year-on-year increase of 5.1% in May, up by 1.3 p.p. percentage points (p.p.) from the previous month. This growth was mainly driven by the contribution of the Energy grouping, whose rate of change reached 19.5%. Excluding this component, the IPPI would have posted a more moderate increase of 2.4% (1.4% in April).

On a month-on-month basis, the index rose by 1.0% (-0.1% in May 2025).

The Index of Production in Construction increased 3.1% in year-on-year terms (3-month moving average, working days and seasonally adjusted) in April, same percentage from March.

The employment and wages indices rose 2.2% and 6.0% in April, respectively (1.7% and 9.3% in the previous month).

In April 2026, 6.6 million passengers and 22.0 thousand tonnes of freight and mail were handled at national airports, corresponding to year-on-year variations of +2.1% and +3.2%, respectively (+4.3% and -0.01%, in the previous month, in the same order).

In that month, there was a daily average of 111.8 thousand passengers disembarked, higher than the 109.9 thousand recorded in April 2025, which represents an increase of 1.7%.

Between January and April of 2026, the United Kingdom remained the main country of origin and destination of flights. France, Spain and Germany ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively. Brazil completed the group of the top five countries of origin, and Italy the group of the top five countries of destination.

Consult the information on the Interactive Application (available only in Portuguese).

In April, the Services Turnover Index recorded a year-on-year nominal increase of 5.8%, representing an acceleration of 0.5 percentage points (p.p.) compared with the previous month. In real terms, the deflated index increased by 0.7%, following a 0.9% increase in March.

On a month-on-month basis, the nominal index rose by 1.2% (3.3% in March).

The indices of employment, wages and salaries and hours worked (adjusted for calendar effects) showed year-on-year variations of 0.9%, 7.0%, and 1.3%, respectively (compared with 2.4%, 7.7%, and 2.1% in March).

In 2024, according to the Regional Development Composite Index, five out of the 26 NUTS 3 Portuguese sub-regions exceeded the national average in terms of the overall regional development – Grande Lisboa (107.83), Área Metropolitana do Porto (103.10), Região de Coimbra (101.09), Região de Aveiro (100.97), and Alto Minho (100.49).

In the competitiveness index only three sub-regions exceeded the national average: standing out was Grande Lisboa (116.69), followed by Região de Aveiro (106.84), and Área Metropolitana do Porto (106.64). The competitiveness index showed the greatest disparity among the three dimensions of regional development.

In the cohesion index, nine NUTS 3, mostly from mainland coast, exceeded the national average. In this dimension, Grande Lisboa (108.80), Região de Coimbra (106.20), and Cávado (104.25), stood out with the highest cohesion indices.

The environmental index results bring out the inner mainland sub-regions and the two Autonomous Regions with higher values. The national average was exceeded by 15 NUTS 3 sub-regions, with a regional disparity lower than the one observed for competitiveness and cohesion indices. Região Autónoma dos Açores (113.84) was the sub-region with the highest score in the environmental index.

In the first quarter of 2026, 6.5 thousand building permits were issued in Portugal, corresponding to a year-on-year decrease of 10.9%, less pronounced than that observed in the fourth quarter of 2025 (-13.5%). Permits for new buildings declined by 9.9% (following a 10.4% decrease in the previous quarter), while permits for renovation works fell by 13.2%, easing the decline recorded in the preceding quarter (-22.4%).

In the same period, an estimated 3.9 thousand buildings were completed, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.5%, reversing the 4.2% decline recorded in the previous quarter.

In the residential sector, the number of dwelling permits in new residential buildings decreased by 3.1%, after increasing by 16.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of completed dwellings, in turn, increased by 3.7%, extending the growth recorded in the previous quarter (+3.6%).

Compared with the previous quarter, the number of building permits issued increased by 9.6%, while the number of completed buildings decreased by 3.7%.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) annual rate remained at 3.3% in May 2026. The annual core inflation rate, which excludes energy and unprocessed food, presented a rate of change of 2.2% (the same value as in the previous month). The annual rate of change for energy products increased to 13.1% (11.7% in April), and the rate for unprocessed food decelerated to 5.7% (7.4% in the previous month). 

The CPI monthly rate was 0.2% (1.3% in the previous month and 0.3% in May 2025), while the CPI 12-month average rate was 2.5% (2.4% in April). 

In May 2026, the Portuguese Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) annual rate was 3.1% (3.3% in the previous month). This rate is 0.1 percentage points (p.p.) below the rate estimated by Eurostat for the Euro area 

(in April, the Portuguese rate was 0.3 percentage points (p.p.) above the figure estimated by Eurostat for the Euro area). Excluding energy and unprocessed food products, the Portuguese HICP increased 2.1% in May (2.3% in April), above the corresponding rate for the Euro area (estimated at 2.3%).

In May 2026, there were 9,216 deaths, 209 less (-2.2%) than in the previous month. Compared to the same month of 2025, there was a decrease of 445 deaths (-4.6%). The number of deaths of children under 1 year of age was 17, two less than in May 2025.

In April 2026, 6,968 live births were registered, 259 less (-3.6%) than in March 2026 and 61 less (-0.9%) compared to the same month of 2025.

In April 2026, the natural balance was -2,433, having improved in relation to the same month of 2025, when it reached -2,784.

In April 2026, 2,267 marriages were celebrated, 187 more (+9.0%) than in March 2026 and 44 more (+2.0%) than in April 2025.

The Industry Turnover Index, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, recorded a nominal year-on-year rate of change of 9.2% in April (10.4% in the previous month). Excluding the Energy grouping, industrial turnover rose 8.1% (10.7% in the previous month). Domestic and non-domestic market rates of change shifted from 11.7% and 8.4% in March, respectively, to 9.4% and 9.0% in the reference month.

Wages recorded a year-on-year growth of 3.6% in April (4.6% in the previous month), while employment and hours worked (adjusted for calendar effects) decreased by 0.3% and 0.5% (variations of 0.3% and 2.1% in March), respectively.

In April 2026, construction costs for new residential buildings are estimated to have increased by 5.9% on a year-on-year basis, 0.2 percentage points more than the previous month. The price of materials presented a variation of 4.7% while labor costs rose 7.3%.

In April 2026, exports and imports of goods recorded year-on-year nominal changes of +15.5% and +8.9%, respectively (+11.0% and +12.3%, in the same order, in March 2026). When transactions without transfer of ownership (TTE) are excluded, i.e., transactions with a view to or following processing, the increases were more pronounced in both flows: +16.9% in exports and +15.3% in imports (+14.9% and +12.7%, respectively, in March 2026). The trade deficit in goods amounted to EUR 2,883 million, down EUR 149 million compared with April of the previous year. However, excluding TTE, the trade deficit increased by EUR 306 million, totalling EUR 2,958 million.

In April 2026, the unit value index (prices) of exports continued the trajectory initiated in the previous month, recording a positive change of 3.2% (+0.4% in March 2026 and -1.7% in April 2025). Imports recorded their first increase (+2.6%; -2.6% in March 2026 and -1.7% in April 2025) since February 2025.

In 2025, there were 87,130 birth deliveries s in Portugal, 3,071 more than in 2024 (+3.7%), reversing the decline recorded between 2023 and 2024 and resuming the upward trend that had been observed since 2022. At regional level, the relative increase in the number of births in the Norte region (+5.9%) stands out.

The proportion of birth deliveries to mothers of foreign nationality increased from 26.3% in 2024 to 28.8% in 2025, with foreign mothers giving birth mainly in municipalities in the Algarve and Grande Lisboa. The most represented foreign nationalities remained the same as in the previous one, reinforcing their share of total deliveries, especially for Brazil (10.5% of the total number of births in 2025).

Data reveal that, in the last 20 years, the age of women in labour increased: between 2003 and 2025, the proportion of births to mothers aged 35 and over rose from 17,2% to 32,0%.

In 2025, 40.4% of twin births involved mothers aged 35 or over, whilst the proportion of single births among women of the same age was 31.9%.

The number of caesarean sections increased, between 1999 and 2024, from 27.1% to 38.6% of birth deliveries performed in hospitals.

In the 1st quarter of 2026, 69.3 million passengers travelled by metro which corresponded to a year-on-year reduction of 2.2% (-3.5% in 4th Q 2025). In the same period, rail transport registered 57.6 million passengers, representing a growth of 0.8% (+6.7% in 4th Q 2025).

National airports handled 14.5 million passengers, corresponding to an increase of 3.9% (+4.7% in the 4th Q 2025). Passenger transport by inland waterways totalled 5.1 million, which represented a reduction of 3.1% compared with the same quarter of 2025 (-3.5% in the 4th Q 2025).

Freight transport registered a decrease in all modes of transport. The sharpest decrease was in road transport (-12.7%; -4.9% in 4th Q 2025), followed by maritime transport (-6.5%; -18.0% in previous quarter), rail (-2.1%; -4.3%) and air (-0.3%; -6.2%).

Oil transport by pipeline increased 5.0% compared with the same period of last year (+2.4% in 4th Q 2025). Gas transport by pipeline recorded more significant increases in input (+11.0%; +0.3% in 4th Q 2025) and output (+11.7%; +0.4% in previous quarter).

Statistics Portugal releases today the eighth edition of the national publication monitoring the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, entitled “Sustainable Development Goals: Indicators for Portugal | 2030 Agenda”. The publication describes the performance of 189 SDG indicators from the UN global list for Portugal, covering the period from 2015 to the most recent year with available data. It presents a concise analysis of the progress and performance of the 17 SDGs in the national context.

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Industrial Production recorded null year-on-year change rate (4.1% in March). Excluding the Energy grouping, which contracted 17.2%, largely due to electricity, the variation was 3.8% (6.0% in the previous month). Manufacturing Industry year-on-year change rate stood at 2.8% (5.2% in March). The monthly change rate of the total index was  2.6% (4.3% in the previous month).

The trade turnover index recorded a year-on-year increase of 4.3% in April, reflecting a slowdown of 1.4 percentage points (p.p.) compared with the value observed in the previous month. Retail trade and wholesale trade decelerated 1.1 p.p. and 2.0 p.p., respectively, to growth rates of 4.9% and 1.5%. In contrast, the trade, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles sector recorded an acceleration of 3.0 p.p., reaching a growth rate of 12.2% in April.

The employment, wages, and hours worked adjusted for calendar effects indices recorded year-on-year changes of 0.7%, 6.1% and 1.9% in April, respectively (0.8%, 6.1% and 2.2% in March).

Between 1990 and 2024, the proportion of children in the total population decreased from 25.2% to 15.5%. Over the same period, the number of live births per thousand women of childbearing age fell from 46.5 to 37.9 and the average age of women at the birth of their first child increased from 24.9 to 30.3 years.

In 2024, 95.7% of 6-year-olds had completed the vaccination plan for measles, mumps and rubella. In the same year, 3.6% of the children were unable to access dental consultations or treatment when needed and 4.5% had some limitation in performing activities considered usual for their age due to long-standing health problems.

In 2025, the proportion of children receiving formal childcare was 57.6% amongst children aged up to 3 old and 43.8% amongst children aged 4 and over.

The number of students enrolled in non-tertiary education in the 2023/2024 school year decreased by 19.5% compared to 1990/1991, with the pre-primary gross enrolment rate rising from 50.7% to 100.6%. In 2022, 76.8% of 15-year-old students had a minimum level of proficiency in reading and 70.2% in mathematics, reflecting, in both cases, a reduction compared to 2012.

The at-risk-of-poverty rate for children up to 17 years old remained higher than that observed for the general population, reaching 17.6% in 2024. In that year, the risk of poverty affected more than a third of the population living in single-parent households and 26.7% in the case of large families.

In 2025, 20.8% of the population in households with children lived in a situation of insufficient housing space (5.7% in households without children) and 10.2% lived in a severe housing deprivation condition (2.5% in households without children).

In 2024, one fifth of children lived in households that were unable to afford at least one week of holiday a year away from home, and a tenth of children were unable to participate regularly in an extracurricular or leisure activity.

The number of beneficiaries, descendants or equivalent, of the family allowance for children and young people per 100 individuals under 25 years of age was, in 2024, higher in the municipalities of the inner mainland.

In 2025, 3,307 crimes against children were recorded, corresponding to the highest number of reports recorded by the police authorities since 2014, highlighting the crimes of domestic violence against minors and sexual abuse of children, adolescents and minors who are dependent or in a particularly vulnerable situation with, respectively, 33.9% and 28.6% of the total.

In the first quarter of 2026, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in volume, recorded a year-on-year rate of change of 2.3%, a rate higher by 0.4 percentage points than that observed in the previous quarter. The positive contribution of domestic demand to the year-on-year growth rate of GDP increased, from 3.1 percentage points in the fourth quarter to 4.1 percentage points. In contrast, the negative contribution of net external demand to the year-on-year GDP growth was more pronounced in the first quarter, as the increase in Imports of Goods and Services more than offset the increase in Exports of Goods and Services. 

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, GDP presented a null rate of change in volume, following a 0.9% increase in the previous quarter. The contribution of net external demand to the GDP quarter-on-quarter rate of change moved from +1.0 percentage points to -1.6 percentage points, reflecting increases both in Exports of Goods and Services and in Imports of Goods and Services, more intense in the latter case. Conversely, the contribution of domestic demand was +1.7 percentage points (-0.1 percentage points in the previous quarter), driven by a significant increase in investment.

On World Energy Day, in a context marked by the challenges of energy security and the reduction of external dependence, Statistics Portugal highlights the recent evolution of renewable energies in Portugal and their contribution to the transformation of the national energy mix and to the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7).

In 2024, the Portuguese energy mix continued to show signs of transformation. Domestic energy production, practically based on renewable sources, reached 8,018 ktoe, the highest value in the series under analysis, corresponding to 39.4% of primary energy consumption. Renewable sources represented 38.3% of primary energy consumption in 2024, 3.5 p.p. more than in 2023, mainly reflecting the increase in hydro and photovoltaic production. Oil remained the main source of primary energy, accounting for 40.8% of the total.

Electricity production from renewable sources accounted for 86.2% of total electricity produced. Renewable installed capacity reached 20,777 MW, corresponding to 78.1% of total installed capacity for electricity production, with photovoltaic technology standing out, as its installed capacity increased by 45.6% compared with the previous year.

The transport sector continues to be one of the main challenges of the energy transition, accounting on average for 35.6% of final energy consumption in the 2015-2024 period.

During this period, average prices of road fuels followed an overall upward trend. After the peak recorded in 2022, average prices decreased in 2023 and stabilized in 2024-2025. At the beginning of 2026, a sharp increase was observed, in a context of greater international uncertainty in energy markets, associated with the volatility of oil prices and the worsening of geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East. In March 2026, petrol IO95 reached €1.833/litre, 4.1% more than in January 2015. Road diesel recorded a more pronounced increase, rising by 14.4% to €1.896/litre. Despite the increase in prices at the beginning of 2026, road fuel consumption remained relatively stable, confirming the limited elasticity of consumption in response to price changes in the short term.

In the European context, Portugal presents a favorable position in indicators measuring the incorporation of renewable energy. In 2024, the overall share of renewable energy sources in gross final energy consumption stood at 36.3%, above the EU average (25.2%), although still far from the national target of 51.0% for 2030. Also in electricity, Portugal recorded a value higher than EU average (65.8% compared with 47.5%). In transport, although the national share of renewables (14.3%) exceeds the EU average (11.2%), it remains the most challenging area of the energy transition. National energy dependence remained above the EU average (64.5% compared with 57.3%), reflecting the lack of domestic fossil fuel production and the still significant role of oil, particularly in transport.

In 2025 there were 9,358 seafarers on board in the licensed national fishing fleet, an increase of 1.9% compared with the number on board in 2024, equivalent to an additional 177 individuals. The number of licensed gatherers and pedestrian fishermen fell by 5.1%, compared with 2024.

The licensed fishing fleet (3,501 vessels), relatively to the registered fleet, accounted for 51.6% of the total number of vessels (53.1% in 2024), 84.2% of the total capacity (GT) (-3.6 p.p. compared to 2024) and 79.6% of the power engine (81.9% in 2024).

In 2025, 61 vessels left the fleet, 24 fewer than in the previous year (-28.2%). There were 36 new registrations in 2025, i.e. 11 fewer vessels’ entries (-23.4%) than in 2024.

In 2025, total catches of the Portuguese fleet led to 166,872 tonnes of fish, representing an increase of 0.7% of the national fishery production. The overall increase in catch volume resulted from the growth in foreign fishing areas (+10.9%), where 42,153 tonnes were caught, whilst catches in national waters fell by 2.4%.

Fresh and chilled fishery caught generated a revenue of 344,585 thousand Euros, an increase of 2.0% compared to 2024, and the average annual price of fresh or chilled fish rose by 4.3%, from €2.62/kg to €2.73/kg in 2025. 

In 2025, the trade deficit of the fishery activity widened by 170.6 million Euros, reaching 1,430.1 million Euros. This development resulted from an increase in imports that exceeded the rise in exports, leading to a reduction in the coverage rate to 51.9% (-1.5 p.p. compared to 2024).

Fishery operational program Mar2030 showed, at the end of 2025, an execution rate of 18.9% of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) allocation. 

Fishing quota for Portugal in 2025 fell by around 38%, although the utilisation rate reached 47%, an increase of 21.3 p.p. compared with 2024. Of the relevant species subject to catch limits in 2025, the most significant reductions occurred for horse mackerel, red seabream, blue whiting and Atlantic mackerel.

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