Portugal Demographics

What is the population of Portugal?

Population 10,207,177
Population: Male/Female male: 4,835,763

female: 5,371,414
Population Growth Rate -0.14%
Population Distribution concentrations are primarily along or near the Atlantic coast; both Lisbon and the second largest city, Porto, are coastal cities
Urban Population urban population: 67.9% of total population

rate of urbanization: 0.44% annual rate of change
Population in Major Urban Areas 3.001 million LISBON (capital), 1.325 million Porto
Nationality Noun noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)

adjective: Portuguese
Ethnic Groups Portuguese 95%; citizens from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa, Asia (Han Chinese), and South America (Brazilian) and other foreign born 5%
Language Note Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)

Portugal Population Comparison

Portugal Health Information

What are the health conditions in Portugal?

Life Expectancy at Birth total population: 81.9 years

male: 78.8 years

female: 85.2 years
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population 10.9
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP 10.6%
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population 5.48
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population 3.5
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 99.7% of population

total: 99.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 0.3% of population

total: 0.1% of population
Tobacco Use total: 25.4%

male: 30.5%

female: 20.2%
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 12
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49) 29.9
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49 73.9%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 1.45
Gross reproduction rate 1
Obesity - adult prevalence rate 20.8%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved improved: urban: 99.9% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.1% of population
Underweight - percent of children under five years 0.4%
Alcohol consumption per capita total: 10.37 liters of pure alcohol

beer: 2.62 liters of pure alcohol

wine: 6.04 liters of pure alcohol

spirits: 1.34 liters of pure alcohol

other alcohols: 0.37 liters of pure alcohol
Currently married women (ages 15-49) 52.6%

Portugal Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Portugal?

Life Expectancy at Birth total population: 81.9 years

male: 78.8 years

female: 85.2 years
Median Age total: 46.4 years

male: 44.3 years

female: 48.3 years
Gross reproduction rate 1
Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49 73.9%
Infant Mortality Rate total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 12
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 1.45

Portugal median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population 8
Median Age total: 46.4 years

male: 44.3 years

female: 48.3 years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population 1.5
Population Growth Rate -0.14%
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female
Age Structure 0-14 years: 12.7% (male 662,419/female 631,284)

15-64 years: 65% (male 3,264,766/female 3,371,087)

65 years and over: 22.3% (male 908,578/female 1,369,043)
Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49 73.9%
Gross reproduction rate 1
Infant Mortality Rate total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births 12
Mother's mean age at first birth 29.9
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman 1.45

Portugal Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Portugal?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Good medical care is available, but facilities may be limited outside urban areas. Public hospitals offer services at costs lower than private hospitals, but sometimes do not maintain the same comforts as hospitals in the United States. You should obtain insurance that covers medical services from a private Portuguese hospital or clinic. Private hospitals will ask for a credit card or other form of payment upon admission. In a life-threatening emergency, you can ask for a public ambulance by calling the national emergency response telephone number, 112. On the other hand, private ambulances should only be used for transport, not life-threatening emergencies, and usually require on-the-spot payment. Note that the responsiveness of emergency services is not up to U.S. standards.

Prescription Medicines: Travelers sometimes request that relatives or friends in the United States mail prescription medicines to them in Portugal, but doing so violates Portuguese law and usually results in the shipment of medications being impounded by the Portuguese customs office. When this occurs, your medications may not be released. If you use prescription medicine, you must bring a sufficient supply with you to cover your anticipated stay in Portugal, along with a copy of your physician's prescription. Should an unforeseen need for prescription refills or new medications arise, Portuguese pharmacies generally carry equivalent medications to those found in the United States; however, they may be sold under a different brand, may not be available in the same dosage, and may require a prescription from a local doctor.

Health Expenditures - percent of GDP

10.6%

Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population

3.5

Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population

5.48

Portugal Education

What is school like in Portugal?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP 5%
Literacy - female 95.9%
Literacy - male 97.8%
Literacy - total population 95.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary) total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years

Portugal Literacy

Can people in Portugal read?

Literacy - female 95.9%
Literacy - male 97.8%
Literacy - total population 95.9%
Literacy Definition age 15 and over can read and write

Portugal Crime

Is Portugal a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Portugal has a relatively low rate of violent crime; however, crime in all categories is steadily increasing. Your greatest crime risk is becoming a target of pickpockets and purse snatchers, particularly at popular tourist sites and restaurants, or on public transportation. Rental cars and vehicles with out-of-town or foreign license plates are frequent targets for break-ins, particularly when parked in popular tourist destinations and beaches. You should always remove visible luggage or personal items from cars when parking. The Embassy has learned of incidents where travelers discover a flat tire and someone immediately volunteers to assist. Capitalizing on the distraction, an accomplice meanwhile steals valuables from the vehicle. Keep your car doors locked when stopped at intersections. You should also avoid using automatic teller machines (ATMs) in isolated or poorly lighted areas. In general, visitors to Portugal should carry limited cash and credit cards on their person, and leave extra cash, credit cards, and personal documents at home or in a hotel safe. While thieves may operate anywhere, the U.S. Embassy receives most reports of theft from the following areas:

Lisbon: Pick pocketing and purse snatchings in the Lisbon area are most likely to occur in buses, hotel lobbies, restaurants, the airport, trains, train stations, and trams, especially onboard tram number 28 to the Castle of São Jorge. At restaurants, items that hang over the backs of chairs or are placed on the floor are particularly vulnerable. Unattended luggage can be stolen at the Lisbon Airport. You should take special care in the Oriente, Santa Apolonia, and Rossio train stations, the Sete Rios bus station, the Alfama, Baixa and Bairro Alto districts, and the tourist area of Belém.

Outside Lisbon: Thefts have been reported in the popular tourist destination towns of Sintra, Cascais, Mafra, Fatima, and in the Algarve. Thieves reportedly scout parking areas alongside tourist attractions and beaches watching for rented cars. You should take special care when parking at the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace in Sintra; and at the beachfront areas of Guincho, Cabo da Roca, and Boca do Inferno. We have received some reports that vacation homes have been robbed in the Algarve. When renting vacation lodging, make sure to assess the accommodation’s security systems.

Madeira: Pick pocketing, while infrequent, may occur in the Old Town and Santa Catarina Park areas of Funchal.

Trains: Public transportation is considered safe and reliable; however, during the summer months, there are occasionally reports of youth gangs accosting passengers riding trains between Lisbon, Cascais, and Sintra. The authorities have increased their patrols in response to these incidents.

Taxis: Taxis are a reliable means of transportation, though you should be alert to possible discrepancies between the meter fare and the amount requested by the driver. Always ask the taxi driver to use the meter. A tourism information kiosk in the arrivals area of the Lisbon airport sells taxi vouchers at standardized prices for many locations in the city and metro area. As part of this voucher service, a member of the tourism office will also escort you to your taxi. Some cases have been reported involving taxi drivers in the arrivals area of the airport who overcharge, threaten and/or harass passengers.

Beaches: Beaches are generally considered safe, but beachgoers should not leave their personal belongings unattended. Youth gangs have been known to congregate along the beaches between Lisbon and Cascais and occasionally accost beach-goers. The authorities have increased their patrols in response to these incidences.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Portugal Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Portugal, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own..

Although it is not illegal, it is advisable not to take pictures of military and security sites in Portugal. You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy bootleg or pirated goods.Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Portugal, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not wherever you go.

Possession and use of narcotic drugs is an administrative offense in Portugal, and users can face mandatory drug treatment. Penalties for trafficking in illegal drugs are severe, and offenders can expect long jail sentences.

Arrest notifications in host country: While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in a foreign country, that might not always be the case. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

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