Around 60,000 Portuguese individuals emigrated in 2022, mirroring the numbers from the previous year. However, the Emigration Report for 2022, compiled by the Emigration Observatory and
Rede Migra, reveals a shift in destination preferences, with the United Kingdom experiencing a decline in significance due to Brexit. Switzerland has once again emerged as the primary choice for Portuguese emigrants.
While overall emigration figures remained relatively stable, the report highlights a decrease of over 40% in emigration to the United Kingdom, making Switzerland the top destination, followed by Spain and France. Portugal currently ranks 26th globally in terms of the number of emigrants, with over 2.1 million Portuguese living abroad, according to United Nations data cited in the report.
In 2022, Switzerland attracted the most Portuguese emigrants, with nearly 10,000 arrivals, followed by Spain (8,272) and the United Kingdom (7,941). The report notes significant entries to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, with the Portuguese forming a notable portion of total immigrant arrivals in these countries.
The data reveals a gender imbalance, with more Portuguese men than women emigrating, predominantly comprising individuals of young working age. France continues to be the country with the largest number of resident immigrants born in Portugal, followed by Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, and Germany.
The report also highlights the acquisition of nationalities by Portuguese emigrants, emphasizing the impact of Brexit on this phenomenon. In 2021, the United Kingdom saw the highest number of Portuguese emigrants acquiring the nationality of the destination country (2,561 processes), attributed to Brexit-related concerns. Switzerland, the United States, Luxembourg, and France followed in the list.
While Luxembourg witnessed a notable increase in the percentage of Portuguese acquiring nationality (17% in 2021), the report indicates a decline in this trend in Switzerland, with 5.6% of foreigners obtaining Swiss nationality in 2021—the lowest percentage in the last seven years.
Compiled by the Emigration Observatory and Rede Migra, the 2022 Emigration Report is part of the Center for Research and Sociology Studies at the Lisbon University Institute (ISCTE-IUL). Photo by Kerschbaumer's, Wikimedia commons.