Questions the migrant population count in Portugal, does Marcelo
In a recent press conference, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed concerns about the reliability of data provided by the National Statistics Institute (INE) and raised the issue of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) failing to send timely data for statistical purposes.
AIMA was criticized for not sending population (immigration) data to the INE eight months before mid-2025. This delay in data transfer hampered the INE's census data processing, affecting the accuracy of the 2024 population figures.
According to the government, more than 1.546 million foreigners had resident status in Portugal in 2024. However, the last data sent by AIMA to INE was received in June 2024, referring to the year 2023. This gap in statistical data for 2024 has created uncertainty regarding the foreign population with a valid residence permit and the granting of residence permits.
The discrepancy between the data provided by the government and the statistical data raises questions about the accuracy of the population count in Portugal. President Rebelo de Sousa emphasized that the total population of Portugal is not 1.6 billion, as suggested by some reports, and stated that Portugal has a total population of approximately 10.74 million people.
The President did not provide any further details about the discrepancy between the data or the reasons for his concerns about the reliability of INE's data. He also did not comment on the impact of AIMA's failure to send timely data on the government's ability to make informed decisions regarding immigration policy.
In light of these concerns, President Rebelo de Sousa suggested that INE bring forward the population census, which was originally scheduled for 2031. He also asserted that approximately 1.5 million immigrants are currently residing in Portugal.
The data sent by AIMA to INE is crucial for statistical purposes. The lack of timely data from AIMA may impact the government's ability to make informed decisions regarding immigration policy.
As of now, the exact scale of the impact on population figures is unclear. The INE completed census data processing mostly by mid-2025 but was reliant on AIMA's data for a more accurate final population count. The final reported population figures by the INE were likely affected due to the missing or delayed incorporation of migration data from AIMA.
The issue remains under investigation, and further updates are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The lack of timely data from the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) may impact the Portuguese government's ability to make informed decisions regarding immigration policy, as shown by the delay in data transfer that occurred eight months before mid-2025. The data sent by AIMA is crucial for statistical purposes, and the discrepancy between the government's data and the statistical data collected by the INE has created uncertainty regarding the foreign population with a valid residence permit and the granting of residence permits in Portugal.
