A new report titled “Migration and Asylum 2024,” released today, reveals that by the end of December 2024, 1,543,697 foreign nationals were registered as residents in the country, a figure lower than the forecasts made in April.
Compared to the end of 2017, when 421,802 foreign nationals lived in Portugal, the number has nearly quadrupled.
The vast majority (71%) hold residency permits, and there are 286,302 individuals who have been served by the Mission Structure for the Recovery of Pending Processes in AIMA, concerning pending expressions of interest cases awaiting residency permits.
The report also notes 61,242 beneficiaries of temporary protection, 7,517 individuals with expired Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) residency permits who were already attended to, and 125 people admitted under long-term visas with an intention to stay longer in the country.
“Brazilian nationals remain the largest foreign community, accounting for 31.4% of the total”, the report states.
Last year, Indian citizens became the second most represented nationality (7.4%), followed by Angolan (6.9%) and Ukrainian (5.9%). In terms of regional groups, the largest growths were among citizens from CPLP countries, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe.
The immigrant population in Portugal largely consists of adults of working age, particularly between 18 and 44 years (77%), with a majority being male (56.1%).
“The geographic distribution of the foreign population is primarily coastal, with notable concentrations in the districts of Lisbon, Faro, Setúbal, and Porto, totaling 1,100,670 (71.3%)”, the report adds.
By the end of the year, 218,332 residency permits had been granted, a 34% decrease compared to 2023, an unusual year due to the automatic conversion of expressions of interest into CPLP residency permits.
The report highlights that the figures mainly reflect AIMA’s response capacity, suggesting that, due to the work done by the Mission Structure, 2025 will see “significant numbers” stemming from entry flows before June 2, 2024, resulting from the expressions of interest regime.
Residency permits for professional activity and citizens from CPLP represent 56.3% of new residency permit grants, with 2,081 investment residency permits, primarily to citizens from the United States, China, and Russia.
A total of 2,677 applications for international protection were submitted, with 58.2% of applicants originating from the African continent, particularly from Senegal, Gambia, and Angola, resulting in 1,244 provisional residency or refugee and subsidiary protection statuses being granted.
The report also mentions that, under international humanitarian commitments, Portugal welcomed 46 asylum seekers from Somalia, Guinea Conakry, Libya, Ethiopia, and six from other countries, as well as 152 Afghan citizens evacuated following the coup in August 2021 under Portugal’s Humanitarian Admission program.
The number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum increased by 151.9% from the previous year to 204, with more than half coming from Gambia.
In its final review, AIMA adjusted upwards the number of foreign nationals in Portugal in 2023, from 1,044,606 to 1,304,833, following the work conducted by the Mission Structure.
