Employment by status in Portugal
Portugal: Employment by status was 85.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Portugal, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Portugal is 85.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Portugal peaked at 85.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 72.1%, in 1998.
That places Portugal 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 74.1% | — |
| 1992 | 75.7% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 75.4% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 74.0% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 73.5% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 72.9% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 72.9% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 72.1% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 73.5% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 74.0% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 73.4% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 73.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 74.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 75.2% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 75.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 76.6% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 76.5% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 77.0% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 77.3% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 78.2% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 79.7% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 79.2% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 79.4% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 81.5% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 82.8% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 84.2% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 84.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 84.3% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 84.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 84.8% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 85.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 85.5% | +0.4% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 85.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 86.7%, 99% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 85.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.3%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 73.8% | 72.1% | 75.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 75.3% | 73.4% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.7% | 78.2% | 84.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.8% | 84.3% | 85.5% | 5 |
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 by status in Portugal?
- Employment by status in Portugal was 85.5% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 85.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.1% in 1998.
- How does Portugal rank for employment by status?
- Portugal ranks 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.