Employment in Portugal
Portugal: Employment was 5,275 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5,275
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
63rd
of 174 countries
All-time high
5,275
in 2025
All-time low
3,694
in 1974
Years of data
45
1974–2025
Employment in Portugal, 1974–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 5,275 for employment in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Portugal peaked at 5,275 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3,694, in 1974.
Portugal ranks 63rd of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Employment in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3,694 | — |
| 1975 | 3,724 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 3,788 | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 3,784 | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 3,772 | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 3,852 | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 3,924 | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 3,968 | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 3,958 | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4,353 | +10.0% |
| 1984 | 4,288 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 4,279 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 4,463 | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 4,439 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 4,417 | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 4,431 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 4,523 | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 4,871 | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 4,922 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 5,023 | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 5,119 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 5,167 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 5,099 | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 5,069 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 5,047 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 5,078 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 5,091 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 5,116 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 4,968 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 4,898 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 4,732 | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 4,542 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 4,424 | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 4,500 | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 4,556 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 4,618 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 4,771 | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 4,885 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 4,934 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 4,820 | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 4,783 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 4,940 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 5,051 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | 5,112 | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 5,275 | +3.2% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 5,275 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 2.4× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 5,275 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,067, 1.7× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,769 | 3,694 | 3,852 | 6 |
| 1980s | 4,129 | 3,924 | 4,353 | 6 |
| 1990s | 4,581 | 4,417 | 4,922 | 7 |
| 2000s | 5,078 | 4,968 | 5,167 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,686 | 4,424 | 4,934 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,997 | 4,783 | 5,275 | 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 Portugal?
- Employment in Portugal was 5,275 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 5,275 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,694 in 1974.
- How does Portugal rank for employment?
- Portugal ranks 63rd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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