Population in the largest city in Portugal
Portugal: Population in the largest city was 45.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
45.6%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
27th
of 153 countries
All-time high
62.2%
in 1974
All-time low
43.5%
in 2009
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Portugal, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Portugal is 45.6%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Portugal peaked at 62.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 43.5%, in 2009.
That places Portugal 27th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.4% | — |
| 1961 | 55.3% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 55.3% | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 55.4% | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 55.7% | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 56.2% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 56.9% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 57.5% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 58.0% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 58.7% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 59.4% | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 60.2% | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 61.2% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 62.1% | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 62.2% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 60.7% | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 59.9% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 60.1% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 60.3% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 60.5% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 60.8% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 60.6% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 59.4% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 58.4% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 57.3% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 56.4% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 55.7% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 55.0% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 54.3% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 53.8% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 53.2% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 52.8% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 52.4% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 51.4% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 50.8% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 50.3% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 49.6% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 49.0% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 48.4% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 47.7% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 47.1% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 46.5% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 45.9% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 45.3% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 44.8% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 44.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 44.0% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 43.7% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 43.5% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 43.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 43.8% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 44.2% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 44.6% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 45.1% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 45.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 45.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 46.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 46.8% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 47.0% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 46.9% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 46.8% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.3% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 46.0% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 45.6% | -0.8% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 45.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.2%, 1.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 45.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.2%, 1.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56.5% | 55.3% | 58.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 60.7% | 59.4% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.2% | 53.8% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 48.4% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.3% | 43.5% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.2% | 43.5% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.4% | 45.6% | 47.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More urban development data for Portugal
- Population density 115.47 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 8.77 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.4037 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 4.36 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.427 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 47.22 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 3.03 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.7 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 202.38 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Portugal?
- Population in the largest city in Portugal was 45.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 62.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.5% in 2009.
- How does Portugal rank for population in the largest city?
- Portugal ranks 27th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.