Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal

Portugal: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 5.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
5.2%
Change on year
down 8.8%
World rank
83rd
of 134 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 2012
All-time low
4.0%
in 2019
Years of data
20
2003–2022

Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal, 2003–2022

024682003201220222003: 7.3 % of people at risk2004: 7.3 % of people at risk2005: 6.9 % of people at risk2006: 7.1 % of people at risk2007: 6.2 % of people at risk2008: 6.1 % of people at risk2009: 4.7 % of people at risk2010: 4.8 % of people at risk2011: 6.5 % of people at risk2012: 8.3 % of people at risk2013: 7.9 % of people at risk2014: 7.6 % of people at risk2015: 6.8 % of people at risk2016: 6.4 % of people at risk2017: 5.2 % of people at risk2018: 4.9 % of people at risk2019: 4 % of people at risk2020: 5.2 % of people at risk2021: 5.7 % of people at risk2022: 5.2 % of people at risk

Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal is 5.2%, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.8% on the previous year and down 37.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal peaked at 8.3% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 2019.

Portugal ranks 83rd of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal, 2003 to 2022.
Year % of people at risk Change
2003 7.3%
2004 7.3% +0.0%
2005 6.9% -5.5%
2006 7.1% +2.9%
2007 6.2% -12.7%
2008 6.1% -1.6%
2009 4.7% -23.0%
2010 4.8% +2.1%
2011 6.5% +35.4%
2012 8.3% +27.7%
2013 7.9% -4.8%
2014 7.6% -3.8%
2015 6.8% -10.5%
2016 6.4% -5.9%
2017 5.2% -18.8%
2018 4.9% -5.8%
2019 4.0% -18.4%
2020 5.2% +30.0%
2021 5.7% +9.6%
2022 5.2% -8.8%

Portugal compared with similar countries

  • Portugal's 5.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 13.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • Portugal's 5.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.9%, 5.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.5% 4.7% 7.3% 7
2010s 6.2% 4.0% 8.3% 10
2020s 5.4% 5.2% 5.7% 3

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 80 Dominican Republic 5.7% compare
  2. 81 Ethiopia 5.6% compare
  3. 81 Ukraine 5.6% compare
  4. 84 Bulgaria 5.0% compare
  5. 84 Serbia 5.0% compare
  6. 86 Montenegro 4.7% compare

See the full ranking of 134 places →

More population data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal?
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal was 5.2% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2012.
What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 2019.
How does Portugal rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
Portugal ranks 83rd out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-the-population-at-risk-of-catastrophic-expenditure-when-surgical-care-is-required/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required
Unit
% of people at risk
Source
Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
134 places, 2,380 data points, 2003–2022
Last refreshed

Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.