Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal
Portugal: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 3.06 million people in 2020. ▬ Flat
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 3.06 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal peaked at 3.31 million people in 1985 and was at its lowest, 3.06 million people, in 2020.
Portugal ranks 86th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.16 million people | — |
| 1955 | 3.19 million people | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 3.21 million people | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 3.22 million people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3.19 million people | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 3.27 million people | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 3.31 million people | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.31 million people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3.27 million people | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 3.22 million people | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 3.22 million people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3.22 million people | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.17 million people | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 3.09 million people | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 3.06 million people | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.18 million people | 3.16 million people | 3.19 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 3.21 million people | 3.21 million people | 3.22 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.23 million people | 3.19 million people | 3.27 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.31 million people | 3.31 million people | 3.31 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.24 million people | 3.22 million people | 3.27 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.22 million people | 3.22 million people | 3.22 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.13 million people | 3.09 million people | 3.17 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.06 million people | 3.06 million people | 3.06 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More population data for Portugal
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4941 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 9,261 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.2816 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.0558 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.0% (2100)
- Population density 95.56 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 396,215 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Portugal was 3.06 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.31 million people in 1985.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.06 million people in 2020.
- How does Portugal rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Portugal ranks 86th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.