The Statement
“Portugal has become one of the countries in Europe with the highest percentage of immigrants”
- António Leitão Amaro, Minister of the Presidency
The Context
On April 8, new figures regarding the immigrant population in Portugal were released. By the end of the second half of 2024, there are 1,546,521 immigrants, according to the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA). These preliminary data suggest that the total could reach 1.6 million immigrants, representing about 15% of the 10.6 million registered residents in Portugal.
However, the declarations by António Leitão Amaro precede these numbers. In an interview on March 31, he stated that Portugal had become one of the “countries in Europe with the highest percentage of immigrants.” Let’s explore the facts.
The Facts
The ministry's advisory explained that the data used for the comparative evaluation with other EU countries were based on the 2023 statistics. This raises concerns about the accuracy of the comparisons, as it is essential to use consistent time intervals for statistical evaluations. The ministry's method did not follow this guideline.
From 2017 to 2023, Portugal has significantly improved its relative position regarding immigration statistics. According to the 2024 edition of the Immigration and Asylum Report in Europe by Eurostat, as well as the International Migration Outlook by the OECD, the foreign population in Portugal represented 10.8% of the national total in 2023. With the new data, it rises to 15%.
Thus, while Portugal would rank 20th in terms of immigrant population with the previous statistics, it would rise to 13th with the new numbers, still far behind countries like Luxembourg (51.2%), Austria (22%), and Germany (18.2%).
Conversely, countries with the lowest immigrant populations include Romania (3.6%), Slovakia (3.9%), and Poland (2.2%).
It is important to note that this government exercise distorts the ranking; Portugal jumps from 20th to 13th place using 2024 data without knowing the corresponding figures for other countries. The Eurostat report currently places Portugal in 18th place with 7.4% of the immigrant population, which could rise to 6th place with the 2024 updates, yet still far from Luxembourg’s 47.4%.
The Verdict
Based on the available data, it is not accurate to say that Portugal is among the countries in Europe with the highest percentage of foreigners, as claimed by Minister António Leitão Amaro.
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