Population and Demographics of Portugal
Population broadly stable in 2024 · median age 47 years
Broad age groups reinforce that picture: 12.80% are under 15, 62.67% are 15 to 64, and 24.53% are 65 or older. By 2050, the medium path points to 9.77 million, equivalent to a -6.3% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in Portugal
Portugal's population stood at 10.283M in 2000 and 10.425M in 2024, equivalent to a +1.4% change over that period. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 9.770M, about 6.3% below the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Age composition is an important part of Portugal's demographic picture in 2024. The 65+ share is 24.53%, clearly above the 12.80% under-15 share, while 62.67% fall in the 15 to 64 band. Older adults outnumber children in these broad age bands.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Portugal a female share of 52.4% and a male share of 47.6%. Females exceed males by 4.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 52.4% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 47.6% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
In the latest harmonized estimates, Portugal shows -0.05% population change and fertility of 1.5, with age composition adding a 11.73-point gap between children and older adults.
Portugal's longer population series shows +1.4% change across 2000 to 2024, while the 2050 medium projection is 6.3% below 2024; this profile does not infer unobserved migration or natural-change components.
2024 estimate for Portugal. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Portugal vs. World
Portugal's demographic position looks different depending on the measure: annual change is lower than the world rate, fertility is below it, and its population is older than the global median-age profile.
| Indicator | Portugal | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | -0.05% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.5 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 47 | 30.6 | 2024 |
To keep the comparison defensible, all three indicators come from one harmonized 2024 table that attributes the demographic series to UN WPP 2024.
Key Takeaways
At 10.425M, the 2024 population is paired with an annual change rate of -0.05%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 12.80% are under 15 and 24.53% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 52.4% female and 47.6% male.
The 2050 medium projection is 9.770M, 6.3% below the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Portugal?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Portugal is 10,425,292 people.
Is the population of Portugal growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Portugal's population is broadly stable, with annual change of -0.05%.
What percentage of the population of Portugal is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 24.53% of Portugal's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Portugal in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Portugal's 2050 population at 9,770,271.
What is the fertility rate in Portugal?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Portugal is 1.5 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.