About 42 percent of households in Portugal were repaying debt in 2024, most often a mortgage, and the burden peaks between 35 and 44. What the corrected survey shows, and the PARI, PERSI and RACE help available if repayments slip.
One in ten first-instance cases had been pending for more than four years, a survey by the judges' council, the CSM, finds. Lisboa Norte fared worst, and almost 164,000 debt enforcement cases had also passed four years.
How personal insolvency works in Portugal: the discharge of debts after three years, the deadlines that close it, payment plans, and the debts it never clears.
How long a creditor has to claim a debt in Portugal, from six months on utility bills to 20 years after a judgment, and what restarts the clock.
How much of your pay, pension, or bank balance a creditor can take in Portugal, what can never be seized, and the 10 days you have to object.
The total indebtedness of the Portuguese economy climbed to €876.2 billion in April 2026, an increase of €8.1 billion from March, according to figures released on 22 June 2026 by the Banco de Portugal (Bank of Portugal). The jump was driven...
When Finance Minister Miranda Sarmento revealed Portugal's 2025 budget surplus of 0.7% of GDP on Thursday—more than double the 0.3% officially projected—the achievement marked more than just fiscal competence. It exposed a deliberate strategy of...
