The GNR Flagged 43,074 Older People Living Alone or Isolated Last Year, and Guarda District Had the Most

The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR, the National Republican Guard) flagged 43,074 older people living alone, isolated or otherwise vulnerable in 2025, up from 42,873 the year before. The figures, reported by RTP on Monday, come from the GNR's annual Operação Censos Sénior (Senior Census Operation), whose 2026 round runs across the country from 1 October to 15 November.

The count covers people the GNR considers at risk because they live alone, live in isolation, or have a physical, psychological or other condition that could put their safety in danger. The GNR has kept this register since the first operation in 2011 and updates the map of where these people live every year. Its release does not split the total between those living alone and those who are isolated.

Where the numbers are highest

Three interior districts account for more than a third of the 2025 total:

• Guarda: 5,852 (5,606 in 2024)
• Vila Real: 5,167 (5,143)
• Bragança: 4,191 (3,367)
• Faro: 3,414 (3,496)
• Viseu: 3,304 (3,325)
• Beja: 2,749 (2,998)

Bragança saw the largest rise, 824 more people than in 2024. Portalegre, Évora, Castelo Branco and Santarém each counted more than 2,000. The lowest figures were in Porto (854), Leiria (920), Braga (1,052) and Lisboa (1,054). The low counts reflect where the GNR works rather than how isolated city dwellers are: the main cities are largely policed by the PSP, so the census covers the GNR's own territory.

What the GNR does with the list

The operation sits within the Apoio 65: Idosos em Segurança (Support 65: Older People in Safety) programme run by the Ministério da Administração Interna (Ministry of Internal Affairs). The GNR says it uses the register to direct patrols, build a network of direct contacts between older people and their local post, and work with the bodies that provide care.

Officers also visit people at home and hold group sessions on scams, burglary and violence. In 2025 they ran 328 sessions in halls and 2,338 door-to-door actions, reaching 35,143 older people. The GNR says this year's round will also address alcohol misuse, social isolation, informal carers and safe use of the internet.

Between January and August 2026, the GNR recorded 2,720 scams, 4,545 thefts and 417 robberies against older people in its area. It made one arrest for fraud, 48 for theft and 20 for robbery. Scammers posing as police officers or inspectors are a growing problem, as we reported on Sunday.

If you are worried about an older person

Foreign residents with older relatives in Portugal, or who are older themselves and live far from family, can use these official contacts:

• Your local GNR post is the contact for the Apoio 65 programme in rural areas. In an emergency, call 112.
• Linha do Cidadão Idoso (Older Citizen's Line), run by the Provedoria de Justiça (Ombudsman's Office): 800 20 35 31, free, on working days from 9:30 to 17:30, with an answering machine outside those hours. It gives advice on rights and support in health, social security, housing and care services, and can refer a case to the Instituto da Segurança Social (Social Security Institute).
• Linha Nacional de Emergência Social (National Social Emergency Line): 144, free, 24 hours a day, every day, for urgent social situations, including people who have lost their autonomy.
• SNS 24: 808 24 24 24, for health advice and triage.

Low-income pensioners may also be entitled to the Complemento Solidário para Idosos (Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly), whose reference value rises to 720 euros a month in 2027.