Portugal Beats the EU Average on Affording Leisure, at 8.7 Percent Against 12.1, but One in Three Still Cannot Pay for a Week's Holiday

About one in eleven people aged 16 and over in Portugal cannot afford to take part regularly in a leisure activity, according to Eurostat's 2025 figures. Portugal's rate of 8.7 percent is well below the EU average of 12.1 percent, and it is the lowest the series has recorded for the country since it began in 2014, when it stood at 20.6 percent.

The figures come from the EU survey on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), which Eurostat updated on 17 September and summarised the same day in its Key figures on European living conditions, 2026 edition. Across the EU, the share ranged from 3.9 percent in Croatia to 27.3 percent in Greece. Portugal has the ninth lowest rate of the 27 member states.

Who goes without

The national average hides a sharp divide by income. Among people living below the poverty threshold (60 percent of the median income), 23.0 percent cannot afford regular leisure, against 6.2 percent of those above it: by our calculation, almost four times as likely. That gap has barely narrowed lately. The rate for people below the threshold was 22.3 percent in 2020 and 23.0 percent in 2025, even as the overall figure fell from 10.9 to 8.7 percent.

Age matters too, and here Portugal looks less favourable. Only 3.7 percent of 16 to 24 year olds go without, far below the EU's 10.3 percent. But the rate climbs steadily with age, reaching 13.7 percent among people aged 65 to 74 and 11.5 percent among all over-65s, above the EU figure of 10.2 percent for that group. Among over-65s living below the poverty line, one in four (25.3 percent) cannot afford it. Retired people in Portugal (11.1 percent) also do worse than retired people across the EU (9.8 percent), which fits the picture of persistent poverty concentrated among older people and of low pensions, particularly for women.

Women are more affected than men: 10.0 percent against 7.3 percent. The unemployed fare worst of all, at 27.8 percent.

A holiday is still out of reach for a third

Portugal's good showing on leisure does not extend to bigger outlays. In 2025, 33.1 percent of people lived in households that could not afford a week's holiday away from home, against an EU average of 27.5 percent. That is down from 55.6 percent in 2014, yet only five member states had a higher rate. Below the poverty line the figure is 64.6 percent.

On smaller items Portugal does better than the EU. Some 5.6 percent of adults cannot afford to meet friends or family for a drink or meal once a month (EU: 7.2 percent), 9.0 percent cannot spend a small amount on themselves each week (EU: 10.8 percent), and 1.9 percent of people cannot afford a meal with meat, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day (EU: 8.5 percent). The broader material and social deprivation rate fell to 10.2 percent of the population in 2025, from 27.0 percent in 2014.

What this means for you

The figures describe household finances in 2025 and do not reflect this year's price changes. For people on tight budgets, low-cost leisure exists: Portugal's national museums currently open free on set days, although the government has agreed to rewrite that scheme by June 2027. Pensioners on the lowest incomes will see their income floor rise to 720 euros a month in 2027. Our cost of living guide sets out typical household spending.