Small businesses make up the majority in Portugal

In Portugal, the largest companies account for billions in sales, but the food manufacturing industry is made up predominantly of micro and small businesses.

By Kate Sreenarong, in News · 03 Nov 2026, 16:03 · 0 Comments

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Drazen Zigic - Freepik.com;

Research by Iberinform has found that microenterprises represent 74% of the companies analysed, and a further 19% are classified as small businesses, while medium-sized firms account for 5 %, with large companies making up just 2%.

These figures also point to an established business landscape, with almost half (46%) of the companies operating for more than 15 years, including 29% that have been active for over 25 years.

At the other end of the scale, 9% were set up within the previous 12 months.

Business risk indicators were also largely positive, with around 40 percent of companies classified as having low risk, while 49% fell into the medium-risk category.

Only 10% faced high risk, and 1% were placed in the highest-risk bracket.

Geographical distribution

The industry is concentrated mainly in Portugal’s two largest business centres.

Lisbon accounts for 17% of the companies included in the analysis, followed by Porto with 14%, ahead of Setúbal and Braga at 7% each, while Aveiro comprised 6%.

The remaining 49% are spread across the country’s other districts, reflecting the industry’s presence outside the main metropolitan areas.

Meanwhile, financial management indicators changed relatively little between 2024 and 2025.

The average time companies take to collect payments from customers increased slightly, from 56 to 57 days, as the average period for settling supplier invoices fell from 66 to 64 days.

This means businesses still receive money about a week before paying suppliers, although the gap has narrowed from 10 days to seven.

Export economy

The decline in the export contribution to food industry turnover comes against the backdrop of a Portuguese agri-food sector with a significant international presence.

According to Portugal’s trade and investment agency AICEP, the agri-food sector generated €34.9 billion in turnover in 2024, employed more than 327,000 people and comprised approximately 124,500 companies.

The exports across this wider sector reached €10.55 billion in 2025, with Portuguese products sold in 193 international markets.

Spain remained the leading destination, accounting for around 41.5% of agri-food exports, followed by other European markets including France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

These figures cover agriculture, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and the food and beverage industries, rather than food manufacturing alone.

The latest Iberinform analysis is based on active businesses registered under economic activity code CAE 10, which covers food manufacturing.

Financial comparisons between 2024 and 2025 were limited to companies that published annual accounts for both years, ensuring the same group of businesses was assessed.