"It is estimated that 70,000 Portuguese will have left in 2023, the same number as in 2022, thus continuing the recovery of Portuguese emigration to levels close to those seen in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic," reads the 2024 Portuguese Emigration report, with data from the previous year.

According to the document, prepared by the Emigration Observatory and Migra Network, the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology, and ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, the only thing missing is a complete recovery, as emigration to the United Kingdom fell by more than 40%, maintaining the downward trend initiated with Brexit (the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union), and to France fell by 25%. Even so, Portuguese emigration is higher than pre-Covid levels in most of its main destinations.

In 2023, Switzerland once again became the main destination country for Portuguese immigrants, accounting for 12,652 arrivals, followed by Spain with 11,554. Other notable countries include France (7,426), Germany (6,375), the Netherlands (now the Netherlands) (4,892), the United Kingdom (4,414), Belgium (3,857), and Luxembourg (3,638). Next come Denmark (1,818), Mozambique (1,439), and Canada (1,005). With fewer than 1,000 entries, destinations 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 table are Australia (91) and Macau (53).

"Although Portuguese immigration has lost relative importance over the years, the impact of these flows on destination countries remains significant. In Luxembourg, for example, Portuguese immigrants represented approximately 13.5% of total immigrant arrivals, while in Macau the figure was 6% and in Switzerland 5.2%," he explained.

In 2023, Portuguese emigrants continued to be predominantly men of working age. However, some countries have a higher rate of females, such as the United Kingdom (50.5%), France (50.4%), or Australia (46.2%).

The United States saw the largest increase in the number of immigrants acquiring citizenship, with 1,1896 cases, a 21.9% increase compared to 2022.