“An estimated 70,000 Portuguese people emigrated in 2023, mirroring the numbers from 2022, and thus continuing the recovery of Portuguese emigration to levels similar to those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.” This information was revealed in the Portuguese Emigration Report 2024, concerning data from the previous year.
The document was prepared by the Emigration Observatory and Migra Network, the Center for Sociological Research and Studies, and ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. It noted that full recovery was not achieved, as emigration to the United Kingdom dropped by over 40%, continuing the downward trend initiated by Brexit, and to France, it decreased by 25%.
Nevertheless, Portuguese emigration is higher than pre-COVID levels in most major destinations.
In 2023, Switzerland remained the main destination for Portuguese emigrants, registering 12,652 entries, followed by Spain with 11,554.
Other notable destinations included France (7,426), Germany (6,375), the Netherlands – now referred to as Netherlands (4,892), the United Kingdom (4,414), Belgium (3,857), and Luxembourg (3,638).
These are followed by Denmark (1,818), Mozambique (1,439), and Canada (1,005).
Destinations with fewer than 1,000 entries include the USA (890), Austria (778), Norway (709), Italy (702), Sweden (688), Brazil (547), Venezuela (532), Ireland (426), and Angola (381).
At the bottom of the list are Australia (91) and Macau (53).
“Although Portuguese emigration has lost relative importance over the years, the impact of these flows in destination countries remains significant. In Luxembourg, for instance, Portuguese nationals accounted for about 13.5% of total immigrant entries, compared to 6% in Macau and 5.2% in Switzerland,” it detailed.
In 2023, Portuguese emigrants continued to be predominantly active-aged men. However, some countries showed higher rates of feminization, such as the United Kingdom (50.5%), France (50.4%), or Australia (46.2%).
The USA saw the highest increase in emigrants acquiring nationality, with 1,896 processes recorded, marking a 21.9% rise compared to 2022.
