Portugal's economy explained: GDP data, market trends, business developments, inflation, real estate, and economic policy. Analysis of how economic trends affect daily life and expat finances.
The Conselho das Finanças Públicas projects 2027-28 primary current spending growth above the path Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento committed to Brussels. The Thursday 28 May reading flags rigidity in pensions and civil-service wages and calls the 2% growth forecast overly optimistic.
Pordata's Wednesday 27 May read off Eurostat 2025 data fixes the Portuguese working week at 37.4 hours — 1.5 hours above the 35.9-hour EU-27 average and sixth-most among the 27 Member States. Bulgaria leads at 39.0h, the Netherlands sits at 32.1h. Adjacent reads also bracket the file.
INE's April 2026 housing-appraisal release on Wednesday 27 May lifts the national median to a record €2,174/m² — €23 above March (+1.1%) and 16.5% YoY across 34,483 valuations. Apartments hit €2,546/m² (+21%), single-family €1,561/m² (+12.7%); Grande Lisboa leads at €3,352/m².
The latest Portugal news, analysis, and what it means for expats and residents.
Portugal's at-risk-of-poverty rate stalls at 15.4% on the 2025 EU-SILC reading, breaking the 2022–2024 downward trajectory. The €723 monthly threshold leaves more than 1.74 million Portuguese inside the perimeter; without pensions and social transfers the rate would sit at 40.7%.
The latest Portugal news, analysis, and what it means for expats and residents.
The Portuguese Finance Ministry has dropped the system of cativações automáticas — the blanket spending freezes that automatically blocked execution above pre-set ceilings inside public administration — and replaced it with a centralised budgetary...
