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Portugal

PT

Southern Europe

Portugal is home to 5 documented ethnic groups in Southern Europe — led by Portuguese (~91%), Portugal Other (~4%), Portuguese Brazilian (~3%), Portuguese Cape Verdean (~1%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
PortuguesePortuguese91.0%INE Portugal 2021 Census; Portuguese (~91%, ~9.4M+ of ~10.4M total). Iberian Romance ethnic group, predominantly Roman Catholic
Portugal OtherPortugal Other4.0%INE Portugal 2024 residual; includes Indian-Portuguese, Bangladeshi-Portuguese, Pakistani-Portuguese, Chinese-Portuguese, Ukrainian (substantial post-2022 refugee population), Romanian, Brazilian-Portuguese non-PALOP, plus other smaller groups
Portuguese BrazilianPortuguese Brazilian2.6%INE Portugal 2024; Brazilian-Portuguese (~2.6%, ~270,000+); the largest single foreign-resident community, post-2010s substantial Brazilian-to-Portugal migration
Portuguese Cape VerdeanPortuguese Cape Verdean1.4%INE Portugal 2024; Cape Verdean-Portuguese (~1.4%, ~150,000+); the substantial post-1975 Cape Verdean-to-Portugal post-independence migration
Portuguese Other AfricanPortuguese Other African1.0%INE Portugal 2024; African-Portuguese excluding Cape Verdean (~1%, ~100,000+); predominantly Angolan, Mozambican, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe communities

Portugal Phenotype Profile

Portugal has a Portuguese-majority demographic profile (~91%) with substantial post-2010s immigration including Brazilian (~2.6%), Cape Verdean (~1.4%), other African (~1%), and other (~4%) communities.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Portugal population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from INE Portugal 2021 Census plus 2024 demographic estimates.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Portugal). Censos 2021. Lisboa: INE; 2022.
  2. 2.Disney AR. A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire (vols 1-2). Cambridge University Press; 2009.
  3. 3.Sobral JM. Portugal e a Europa: Imigração, Identidade Cultural e Discurso. Imprensa de Ciências Sociais; 2012.
  4. 4.Padilla B, Fernandes G, Júdice F. Brazilian women migrants in Portugal. Migration and Development. 2018;7(3):403-419.
  5. 5.Bastos JGP, Bastos SP. Portugal Multicultural: Situação e Estratégias Identitárias das Minorias Étnicas. Fim de Século; 1999.

Other countries in Southern Europe

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Southern Europe nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Southern Europeethnic groups & countries →