According to data from Eurostat, five Portuguese regions fall below this threshold: Alto Tâmega e Barroso, Terras de Trás os Montes, Beira Baixa, Beiras e Serra da Estrela and Alto Tejo.

Rural regions

Alto Tâmega e Barroso has the lowest proportion, with people aged 20 to 64 accounting for 50.8 percent of its population, rising to 52.2 percent in Terras de Trás os Montes, 52.5 percent in Beira Baixa, 52.7 percent in Beiras e Serra da Estrela and 54 percent in Alto Tejo.

The figures place these areas among 189 EU regions where the working-age population represented less than 55 percent of all residents on 1 January 2025.

As reported by Eurostat, the regions are predominantly rural and include parts of France, eastern Germany, Bulgaria, Greece, the Nordic EU countries, and Portugal’s interior.

Employment targets

Tâmega e Sousa has the highest share of residents aged 20 to 64, at 61.5 percent, followed by Cávado at 60.9 percent, Ave at 60.2 percent and the Porto Metropolitan Area at 59.5 percent.

In Greater Lisbon, the figure stood at 58.5 percent.

Across the EU, people aged 20 to 64 represented 58.3 percent of the total population at the start of 2025, while 39 regions recorded shares of at least 63 percent, with most of these located in Germany.

The latest figures also come as the EU continues to monitor progress towards its employment targets.

Eurostat reported that the bloc’s employment rate reached 76.1 percent in 2025, the highest level recorded since the current statistical series began in 2009.

That figure was 1.9 percentage points below the 2030 target set under the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Almost half of EU regions had already reached or exceeded the target last year, including areas of Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

In Portugal, seven of the country’s nine regions had already met or surpassed the target.

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