Social Equity Initiative

Portugal, Social Balance

The yearly report Portugal, Balanço Social [Portugal, Social Balance] aims to draw a socioeconomic portrait of Portuguese families and provide a basis for cross-sectional discussion on poverty and social exclusion in the country. The document describes poverty regarding income and addresses differences in employment status, access to education and health, housing conditions, and social and political participation. It also mentions the persistence of poverty, regional differences, inequality in income distribution, the impact of public policies in the mitigation of poverty, and the population's perceptions and attitudes towards the welfare state.

Ethnic minorities and discrimination in Portugal

The report “Ethnic minorities and discrimination in Portugal” analyses the ethnic minorities and discrimination in Portugal. The study uses microdata from the 2023 Survey on Living Conditions, Origins and Trajectories of Resident Population (ICOT). More than 50% of people from ethnic minorities have witnessed situations of discrimination and 40% say they have suffered discrimination directly. In Portugal, almost 90% of victims of discrimination do not contact the authorities.

Suggested Citation: Peralta, S., Carvalho, B. P., Fanha, J., & Fonseca, M. (2025). As minorias étnicas e a discriminação em Portugal. Nova School of Business and Economics https://doi.org/10.34619/pzhw-zte8

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Who can afford essential expenses? An analysis of absolute poverty in Portugal

The report “Who can afford essential expenses? An analysis of absolute poverty in Portugal” analyses poverty in Portugal through an absolute approach. The study uses microdata from the 2022 Household Budget Survey (HBS) and adapts the Orshansky and supplemental methods from the United States Census Bureau. In 2022, the absolute poverty rate varies between 8.5% and 12.6%, below the 16.4% of the relative poverty rate. Around 1% of the population (close to 100,000 people) live in households with insufficient income to cover at least the cost of the essential basic food basket.

Suggested Citation: Peralta, S., Carvalho, B. P., Fanha, J., & Fonseca, M. (2025). Quem consegue pagar as despesas essenciais? Uma análise da pobreza absoluta em Portugal. Nova School of Business and  Economics https://doi.org/10.34619/a8im-t60b 

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The 4th edition of the Portugal, Balanço Social [Portugal, Social Balance] report aims to make a portrait of the social and economic status of the country and of the families in Portugal. The report analyses the impact of poverty on mental health and well-being and dedicates a chapter to the perceptions, expectations, and confidence in Institutions. Report in Portuguese here.

Suggested Citation: Peralta, S., Carvalho, B. P., & Fonseca, M. (2023). Portugal, Balanço Social 2023: relatório anual. Nova School of Business and  Economics 
https://doi.org/10.34619/htzy-h8zf

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The report “Energy Poverty in Portugal: A municipal analysis?” analyzes the energy poverty in Portugal, using data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), carried out in 2021, and the 2021 Census. In Portugal, two out of every 10 people were not able to keep their homes warm and three out of ten lived in houses in need of repair. This study characterizes the energy poverty at the municipal level by calculating the Index of Municipal Energy Vulnerability (IVEM, in Portuguese) through a statistical method that combines the individual level data from SILC with the municipal level data from the Census. The municipalities of the Autonomous Regions present a stronger prevalence of energy vulnerability, with IVEM values above 25%. In the continent, energy poverty is clustered in the North, especially in the regions of Minho, Trás-os-Montes, and Beira Alta.

Suggested Citation: Peralta, S., Carvalho, B. P., & Fonseca, M. (2023). Pobreza energética em Portugal: uma análise municipal. Nova School of Business and Economics https://doi.org/10.34619/chvm-rk0m
 

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The 3rd edition of the Portugal, Balanço Social [Portugal, Social Balance] report aims to make a portrait of the social and economic status of the country and of the families in Portugal. The report analyses the distribution of support to families within the scope of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in Portugal, throughout 2020, and dedicates a chapter to the challenges of the cost of living. Report in portuguese here.

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SEE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

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Interim note, Portugal
Social Balance 2023

The report “Portugal and the Social Elevator: Can one grow out of poverty?” analyzes the intergenerational transmission of poverty in Portugal, using data a special module from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), carried out in 2019. One in four people who grew up in a household with a bad financial situation is poor. This reality remains unaltered for the generations born in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. This repost also shows that the probability of being poor in adulthood is greater for people whose father only completed basic education, that worked as a farmer or a non-qualified worker, or if the father was absent and did not maintain contact.

Suggested Citation: Peralta, S., Carvalho, B. P., & Fonseca, M. (2023). Portugal e o Elevador Social: Nascer pobre é uma fatalidade?. Nova School of Business and Economics.https://doi.org/10.34619/aqpe-icln
 

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The report “In-work poverty: The role of income and family household composition” analyzes the in-work poverty in Portugal, using from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), carried out in 2020. One in 10 Portuguese workers are poor; this study aims to characterize the income structure of these workers. The report shows that in-work poverty is not always associated with low labour income, and stresses the importance of household composition. The role of income transfers in alleviating in-work poverty is discussed.

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The report "Essential Expenditures and Household Income: The Asymmetric Effects of Inflation" analyzes the structure of household budgets according to their income level. The authors use microdata from the 2015/16 Household Budget Survey, which is the latest of this type carried out by INE. The study characterizes the consumption patterns along the income distribution and shows that spending in essential consumption goods, such as food, and electricity and gas, represents a higher weight in the budget of the poorest families, who will thus support a higher cost from the current wave of inflation.

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The pandemic and the job market: What we know a year later

This report combines data from the Employment Survey (IE) carried out by INE, the Studies and Planning Office of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (GEP - MTSSS), the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) and Google to analyze the effects of the pandemic on the job market a year later. This is the first complementary note of the report “Portugal, Balanço Social”.

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The 2nd edition of the Portugal, Balanço Social [Portugal, Social Balance]  updates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 and 2021 on the most vulnerable groups of the population, on health, education and the labor market. This year it also adds a section dedicated to the elderly.

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The Team

Susana Peralta
Scientific Coordinator
Bruno P. Carvalho
Scientific Coordinator
Mariana Esteves
Researcher
Miguel Fonseca
Researcher