Sharp rise in immigration helps counter Portugal’s shrinking population

Portugal welcomed nearly 47,000 foreigners in 2016, the highest figure since 2010 and gave refugee status or international protection to 400 people, double the 2015 number but lamentably low as Portugal rejected two out of every three asylum request.

“Portugal continues to fulfil its commitment, under the European migration agenda, to welcome and settle 4,574 people from Greece and Italy by December 2017,” reads the report, skirting around the issue of low numbers choosing Portugal and more than half of those that initially do settle, leave shortly afterwards.

With regard to immigrants – in 2016, 46,900 people entered the country and did not leave, the first increase in the foreign population since 2009

At the end of 2016, there were 397,700 foreigners living in Portugal, 2.3% more than in 2015, “More than half of the increase may be related to free movement within the European Union. The number of immigrants from inside the European Union has increased by more than 40% in two years,” reads the report

Tax refugees from France (3,500), Italy (3,100) and the United Kingdom (3,100) took advantage of the NHR scheme and the number of successful Golden Visa applicants increased in 2016 and 2017, the numbers recovering from the suspension of the programme in 2015 because of investigations into corruption.”

Regarding emigration, after an increase between 2010 and 2013, the departure of Portuguese national to live in another country stabilised in 2013, with an estimated 38,300 permanent emigrants and 58,900 temporary emigrants in 2016.

“Several initiatives have been presented to increase the attractiveness of Portugal for both foreigners and Portuguese émigrés,” claimed the OECD.

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