61.7% of the poor in Portugal are in long-term poverty: New research reveals economic fragility

A new study published in Portugal has revealed that a significant portion of poverty is not just short-term economic difficulties. According to the data announced on October 14 within the scope of the “Portugal, Balanço Social” project, 61.7% of people experiencing poverty in 2025 were in permanent poverty conditions. The research also shows that in the 2022–2025 period, 25.6% of the population experienced poverty for at least one year, while 6.9% could not get out of this situation for four years.

What does persistent poverty mean?

The concept of persistent poverty used in the research refers to a person experiencing economic hardship for a longer period than just being low-income in a single year.

In European statistics, persistent poverty is generally measured by the person being at risk of poverty in the year examined and at least two of the previous three years.

This approach helps distinguish between temporary income loss within a year and long-term economic vulnerability.

According to the study, 61.7% of people classified as poor in 2025 were in the persistent poverty category.

However, this rate does not mean that 61.7% of the Portuguese population is poor.

A quarter of the population experienced poverty in four years

One of the striking findings of the research is the distribution of poverty over time.

During 2022–2025, 25.6% of the Portuguese population lived in poverty conditions for at least one year.

On the other hand, 6.9% He remained in poverty for all four years.

According to the detailed distribution of the research, 8.8% of the population was at risk of poverty for one year, 5.3% for two years, 4.6% for three years and 6.9% for four years.

74.4% of the population experienced no risk of poverty during the same four-year period.

These figures reveal that annual poverty rates are not indicative of people's experiences over time.

What has changed in the last decade?

According to the research, the permanent poverty rate was 13.6% in 2015.

In 2024, this rate decreased to 7.1%.

However, it rose again in 2025, reaching 9.5%.

Therefore, although there has been a significant improvement in the last ten years, there has been a negative change in the most recent year.

This distinction is important: the increase in 2025 does not mean that the entire decade of improvement has disappeared; However, it shows that recent progress has been interrupted.

How has child poverty changed?

The research also includes a long-term comparison of the persistent poverty situation of children.

Accordingly, the permanent poverty rate in children decreased from 18.1% in 2015 to 9.3% in 2025.

This represents a decrease of 8.8 percentage points.

In other words, the rate has decreased by approximately half.

This development shows that long-term progress has been made in the fight against child poverty.

However, the 9.3% rate does not mean that child poverty has been completely eliminated.

Why are older people more Is it affected?

The research shows that the risk of permanent poverty in 2025 differs according to age groups.

The rate for those aged 65 and over was calculated as 10.6%.

It was 9.0% in the 18-64 age group and 9.3% in children under 18 years of age.

Thus, the elderly stood out as the segment with the highest risk of permanent poverty among the age groups examined.

This finding is especially important in terms of the economic fragility of the elderly living on fixed income.

However, the research does not mean that every older person is in poverty.

Are there any differences between women and men?

According to the research, 10% of women were at risk of permanent poverty in 2025.

For men, the rate was calculated as 9%.

This suggests that women's risk of permanent poverty is one percentage point higher than that of men.

However, to explain the reasons for this difference, employment, wages, retirement income, household structure and other variables need to be examined separately.

Can working people also experience poverty?

Yes.

Just because a person is employed does not necessarily mean that their household income is above the poverty threshold.

Income insufficiency may be seen especially in the households of low-paid, part-time or irregular workers.

However, the 61.7% rate announced in the research does not only include employees.

Therefore, it cannot be used as an exact rate of working poverty.

Why for foreigners living in Portugal? important?

Foreign residents may also experience economic fragility depending on their working income, rental expenses and family size.

However, access to social supports depends on a person's legal residence status, insurance history, household income and the conditions of the relevant assistance.

There is no general rule that foreigners working in Portugal can automatically benefit from all social benefits or are excluded from all social benefits because they are foreigners.

Separate eligibility conditions apply for each support.

Does the research bring new outreach?

No.

The study, announced on October 14, is a study that analyzes the persistence of poverty in Portugal.

It does not mean that a new social aid has come into force or that existing payments have been increased.

However, the findings reveal that social support policies should focus not only on short-term income losses but also on long-term poverty risk.

Resources

- RTP / Lusa, 14 October 2026, Pobreza persistente ainda afetava 61,7% das pessoas pobres em Portugal em 2025

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/pobreza-persistente-ainda-afetava-617-das-pessoas-pobres-em-portugal-em-2025_n1771658