Deutsche Welle: Portugal relies on 1.5m immigrants
- Deutsche Welle reported on May 18 that Portugal’s economy depends heavily on immigrant labor as the country’s foreign resident population reached about 1.54 million. - AIMA’s 2024 report put Portugal’s foreign resident population at 1,543,697, with Brazilians accounting for 31.4%, while officials described immigrants as fundamental across sectors. - Portugal’s migration debate will keep moving through AIMA case processing, residency notifications and parliamentary politics involving Luis Montenegro and Chega.
Portugal’s foreign resident population reached 1,543,697 at the end of 2024, according to Portugal’s migration agency AIMA, a figure that has become central to a sharper political fight over immigration. Deutsche Welle reported that large parts of the Portuguese economy now rely on immigrant labor, especially in agriculture, hospitality and construction. The debate has intensified after the center-right government tightened migration rules and as the far-right Chega party made immigration a core political issue. The numbers also show why residency paperwork, backlogs and legal status have become more than administrative details in Portugal. ### How big is Portugal’s immigrant population now? AIMA’s 2024 annual report said 1,543,697 foreign residents were living in Portugal at the end of 2024, equal to roughly 15% of the population. Brazilians made up 31.4% of that total, the European Commission said in a January 2026 summary of the report. The 2024 report also said 85.5% of migrant residents were between 18 and 64 years old, and the largest age group was 18 to 34. Lisbon, Setúbal, Faro and Porto had the biggest concentrations of foreign residents. ### Which jobs are most tied to immigrant labor? Deutsche Welle reported in September 2024 that Portugal’s economy was “hugely dependent” on migrant workers. The broadcaster cited agriculture, where workers from Nepal, India and Bangladesh harvest fruit, vegetables and olives, as well as hospitality and construction, where Brazilians and African workers are heavily represented. (aima.gov.pt) Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portugal’s president, said in May 2025 that immigrants’ contribution to the economy was “fundamental, practically in all sectors,” according to Lusa reporting carried by Portuguese outlets. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) ### Why has immigration become such a political flashpoint? May 18, 2025 was Portugal’s third parliamentary election in three years, and immigration was one of the issues driving the campaign. (dw.com) Deutsche Welle reported that the ruling Democratic Alliance won the election but fell short of a majority, while Chega increased its support again. May 28, 2025 brought another marker in that shift when Chega overtook the Socialists to become the main opposition party after overseas ballots were counted. (theportugalnews.com) Reuters reported that Chega won 60 seats to the Socialists’ 58, ending decades in which Portugal’s two traditional parties dominated government and opposition. Chega has campaigned against what it calls “open doors” immigration, while Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has rejected a governing deal with the party. (dw.com) That has left Portugal with another minority government and kept migration at the center of parliamentary politics. ### What changed in the government’s immigration approach? June 2024 was the turning point in the rules. Portugal ended a policy that had allowed some non-EU migrants to enter without a prior work contract and later seek residency after paying social security contributions, Deutsche Welle reported. (usnews.com) May 2025 brought a tougher enforcement step. António Leitão Amaro, the minister of the presidency, said the government would issue about 18,000 notifications ordering people without authorization to leave the country, starting with roughly 4,500 cases. (usnews.com) Reuters reported that recipients would have 20 days to leave voluntarily or appeal. ### Why do documents and registration matter so much in this story? (dw.com) AIMA said demand for regularization services remained high in 2024, with its call center registering more than 213,000 appointments. Deutsche Welle separately reported a backlog of around 400,000 legalization applications at AIMA in 2024, showing how legal status can lag far behind labor demand. Those figures help explain the tension running through Portugal’s migration debate. (ici.radio-canada.ca) Employers say they need workers quickly, while the government has tied entry and residence more tightly to formal procedures, embassy processing and residency decisions. AIMA’s case processing and any further government notices on pending residency and departure orders will be the next concrete markers to watch, alongside parliamentary moves by Montenegro’s minority government and the opposition led by Chega. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) (usnews.com) (dw.com)
