Foreign workers in Portugal paid 3 654 million euros into the national social security system in 2024, accounting for 12% of the total 29 billion euros collected by the system that year. At the same time, the registered foreign population in the country was 1 million people, representing 10% of all residents.

Brazilians - accounting for one third of the registered foreign population - provide the biggest contribution, at 37.5% of the total. They are followed by citizens from India (6.5%), Nepal (4.3%), Cape Verde and Angola (less than 4% respectively). These workers are most commonly employed in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

Data published by the Ministry of Work show that contributions from foreign workers have increased by 150% since 2021.

According to its 'Recovering and Resilience Plan', Portugal is in need of a greater labour force, which would allow the country to resume economic growth and catch up with the rest of Europe. These principles align with those of the national Migration Action Plan, which aims to welcome more immigrants for demographic, social, and economic reasons.