Portugal no longer leads the list of European Union countries with the highest proportion of emigrants.

According to the Portuguese Emigration 2024 report, prepared by the Emigration Observatory, the country has dropped to fifth place, and is now surpassed by countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Croatia.

According to Público, the significant drop in departures to the United Kingdom, which was once the main destination, helps explain this change, although the total number of Portuguese emigrants has remained stable—around 2.1 million, equivalent to 21% of the resident population.

Despite the decline in the United Kingdom and France, Portuguese emigration has not decreased, revealing instead a redistribution of destinations. In 2023, Switzerland became the main host country for Portuguese emigrants, with over 12,000 new arrivals, followed by Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. This shift may be linked to economic factors or the search for more favourable conditions for emigrants, especially the more qualified.

According to sociologist Rui Pena Pires, this stability contrasts with the scenario a decade ago, when the crisis led more than 120,000 Portuguese to leave the country, 30,000 of whom went to the United Kingdom. Now, with around 70,000 departures annually, emigration appears to have stabilized, even with fluctuations between destinations. "We are not facing worrying numbers," said the expert, quoted by the publication, emphasising that a significant portion of these emigrants end up returning, which mitigates the negative migration balance.

Portuguese emigration is also marked by an aging profile. Many of those currently included in the statistics emigrated decades ago, especially during the massive influxes of the 20th century. Estimates indicate that 81% of emigrants have been away from the country for more than ten years, and the proportion of inactive people has risen from 29% to 32%, as many reach retirement age.

With wages still below the European average, Portugal is expected to continue to record a higher emigration volume than other EU member states.