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Society

Social trends, demographics, and community issues in modern Portugal.

Portuguese Have Fewer Friends Than a Decade Ago — ISCTE Study Links Growing Loneliness to Youth and Poverty

A major ISCTE study finds that the Portuguese have fewer close friends and socialise less than a decade ago, with young adults and low-income groups suffering the steepest decline — and most people don't even realise it's happening.

Portugal Logged 365,802 Crimes in 2025 — Cybercrime, Arson, and Prison Overcrowding Surge as Violent Crime Falls

Portugal remains one of the safest countries in the world, according to the Relatório Anual de Segurança Interna (RASI) 2025 — the government's annual internal security report presented this week. But behind the headline ranking, the data reveals a...

Saramago May No Longer Be Mandatory Reading as Portugal Proposes Major Literature Curriculum Overhaul

Saramago May No Longer Be Mandatory Reading as Portugal Proposes Major Literature Curriculum Overhaul

Portugal's only Nobel laureate in Literature, José Saramago, could lose mandatory status in secondary schools under a proposed curriculum revision now in public consultation. The draft Aprendizagens Essenciais (Essential Learning Standards) for...