Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal
Portugal: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 24.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal is 24.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal peaked at 36.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 2014.
Portugal ranks 48th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 34.6% | — |
| 1992 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 33.7% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 33.3% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 32.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 32.1% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 32.1% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 36.7% | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 35.6% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 35.7% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 34.7% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 34.6% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 33.9% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 32.1% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 31.4% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 31.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 29.8% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 28.5% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 27.4% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 25.6% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 24.0% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 24.4% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 24.4% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 24.4% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 24.6% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 24.9% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 25.5% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 24.8% | -2.8% |
| 2025 | 24.6% | -0.9% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 24.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 19.9%, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 24.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23.3%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.9% | 32.1% | 36.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 28.5% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.0% | 23.9% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 24.4% | 25.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Portugal was 24.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 36.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.9% in 2014.
- How does Portugal rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Portugal ranks 48th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).