Portugal is a country with almost 900 years of rich history and a future full of much more to come. Come and build your history with us.

With a coastline of over 800 km of the most popular beaches in Europe and a mild climate all year round, Portugal is a country that is not limited to the coastline. In fact, in winter you can also enjoy ski resorts in Serra da Estrela. Walk through castles, palaces and monasteries, get to know the natural parks and protected landscapes and, above all, enjoy the rich gastronomy that extends from the simplest starters of bread made in a wood oven with olive oil, to the most complex desserts. All this well accompanied by the best wines.

These attractions are assets for those who want to spend a nice holiday, but those who come to stay will end up getting to know better the Portuguese people, friendly, available and affable. If you don’t speak the language, apart from the fact that many Portuguese can speak English, there will always be a way to understand each other.

The infrastructures are are among the best in Europe, especially in terms of road access. Even the Francisco Sá Carneiro airport (Porto) has already received several awards. Public education and health care are on a par with the European average, which is also an attraction for those wishing to settle in the country.

Innovation

Portugal is closing the innovation gap with the European Union faster than the EU average.

ModerateInnovatorEuropean Innovation Scoreboard 2026, above the average of its group [3]
93%Of the EU innovation averageUp from 90.7% in 2025 and 13 points since 2019 [3]
31stInnovation capacity, out of 139 economiesGlobal Innovation Index 2025 (WIPO) [15]
1.7%Of GDP invested in research and development2024, provisional; 1st in the EU for public support to business R&D [16] [4]

Competitiveness

Foreign companies keep choosing Portugal, above all for software, IT and business services.

9thIn Europe for foreign investment projectsEY European Attractiveness Survey 2026: 186 projects and 11,591 jobs in 2025 [10]
Top 5In Europe for AI and data centre investment2025 [10]
40thWorld competitiveness, out of 70 economiesIMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2026 [5]
46%Of GDP in exports of goods and services2024, World Bank data [17]
68%Of electricity from renewable energy2025, REN (national grid operator) [7]

Quality of life

Portugal has held 7th place among the world’s most peaceful countries since 2023, with low violent crime and a stable political life.

7thMost peaceful country in the worldGlobal Peace Index 2026, out of 163 countries [1]
10.7MResidents, and growingSixth consecutive year of population growth [6]
800+ kmOf Atlantic coastlineMild climate all year round [8]

Talent

A young, multilingual workforce, business schools among the best in the world and one of the highest shares of engineering graduates in the OECD.

23rdIMD World Talent Ranking2025, up two places [11]
7thLanguage skillsThat meet the needs of companies, IMD World Talent Ranking 2025 [12]
6thProficiency in EnglishEF English Proficiency Index 2025, out of 123 countries [2]
2ndManagement educationNova SBE has the 2nd best Masters in Management in the world, Financial Times 2026; five Portuguese schools ranked [13]
9Universities in the world rankingsQS World University Rankings 2026; Lisbon 230th and Porto 237th [18]
43%Of 25–34 year-olds hold a degreeSkilled workforce, up from 38% in 2019 (OECD 2025) [19]
5thRate of engineering graduates18.5% of tertiary graduates, out of 44 countries (OECD 2025) [14]
Very highEnglish proficiency bandThe top band of the EF index, with a score of 612 [2]

Clean energy

Most of the electricity used in Portugal comes from water, wind and sun, and renewable production set a new record in 2025.

37 TWhOf renewable electricityA record year, 2025 [7]
HydroThe largest source, followed by wind and solarHydro 26%, wind 24%, solar 13% (January–October 2025) [7]

Good to know

The practical side of moving to Portugal.

  • European UnionMember since 1986
  • CurrencyEuro
  • Schengen areaYes, free movement in 29 countries
  • LanguagePortuguese; English widely spoken
  • Time zoneWestern European Time (UTC+0, summer UTC+1)
  • Minimum wage 2026 (mainland)€920 per month, 14 payments [9]
  • HealthcareNational Health Service (SNS) for residents
  • SchoolsFree public schools; international schools in the main cities

Sources

  1. Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2026 — visionofhumanity.org; AICEP Portugal Global
  2. EF Education First, English Proficiency Index 2025 — The Portugal News; RTP
  3. European Commission, European Innovation Scoreboard 2026 — country table; The Portugal News
  4. European Commission, European Innovation Scoreboard 2025 — AICEP Portugal Global; ANI
  5. IMD World Competitiveness Center, World Competitiveness Ranking 2026 — Essential Business; 2025 factors: ECO News
  6. INE — Statistics Portugal, resident population estimates, 31 December 2024 (10,749,635) — Renascença
  7. REN — Redes Energéticas Nacionais, electricity statistics 2025 — Review Energy; APREN
  8. Turismo de Portugal — visitportugal.com
  9. Decreto-Lei n.º 139/2025, minimum wage of €920 from 1 January 2026 — Sábado
  10. EY European Attractiveness Survey 2026 — AICEP Portugal Global; Essential Business
  11. IMD World Competitiveness Center, World Talent Ranking 2025 — imd.org
  12. IMD, language skills criterion, cited by InvestPorto
  13. Financial Times, Masters in Management Ranking 2026 — The Portugal News
  14. OECD, Education at a Glance 2025 (data 2023) — OECD Education GPS
  15. WIPO, Global Innovation Index 2025 — Portugal profile (wipo.int)
  16. INE / DGEEC, R&D expenditure as % of GDP (2024 provisional) — PORDATA
  17. World Bank, exports of goods and services (% of GDP) — TheGlobalEconomy.com
  18. QS World University Rankings 2026 — Católica Lisbon
  19. OECD, Education at a Glance 2025, Portugal country note — oecd.org