The North region of Portugal gained approximately 187 thousand inhabitants between 2021 and 2025, according to data released by the Coordinating Commission for Regional Development of the North (CCDR-N). This population growth of 5.2%, which raised the total to 3,790,554 inhabitants, is described as the most significant in recent decades and sufficient to reverse a trajectory of decline and stagnation that had been observed for years.
The study indicates that this demographic recovery was strongly driven by the migratory component, with a positive migratory balance of approximately 235 thousand people. This value largely compensated for the region's negative natural balance. In 83 of the 86 municipalities, the migratory balance was positive, demonstrating an attraction capacity across the territory, and for the first time all eight sub-regions grew simultaneously.
The president of CCDR-N, Álvaro Santos, stated that the data shows the North has entered a new demographic cycle, being a signal of a more attractive region, capable of generating opportunities and retaining population. However, the study warns that structural challenges remain associated with demographic aging and negative natural balance, especially in very low-density territories.
The long-term analysis (2011-2025) identifies three distinct phases: decline between 2011 and 2015, stabilization between 2015 and 2021, and the current period of growth. Despite the accumulated positive migratory impulse of 231.5 thousand people, the North's migratory growth rate (6.4%) was nearly half the national average (12%). At the municipal level, Porto recorded the highest growth rate (21.4%), followed by Valença, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Bragança, and Póvoa de Varzim.
