More than 782,000 people left Portugal in the last five years

Over 782,000 people left Portugal between 2021 and 2025, according to INE data. This figure is significantly higher than previous estimates from the Emigration Observatory, which suggested 60,000 to 70,000 emigrants annually. The increase in recorded departures is attributed to a new methodology that counts those leaving for at least a year as permanent emigrants. The number of departures rose from 124,000 to 600,000 between 2021 and 2024, reflecting a substantial change in how emigration is measured.