The Norte Region gained more than 187 thousand inhabitants between 2021 and 2025, recording a population growth of 5.2%, the highest growth in decades. The data comes from the new edition of Norte Estrutura, a publication by CCDR NORTE dedicated to the region's demographic evolution. During this period, all eight sub-regions of the Norte increased their population, including Tâmega e Sousa, which went from 404,148 to 416,728 inhabitants.
The demographic recovery was not limited to major urban centres. Between 2021 and 2025, 63 municipalities in the region recorded population growth, in contrast to only 31 municipalities between 2011 and 2025. The main explanation lies in migrations: the Norte recorded a positive migratory balance of 235.2 thousand people, sufficient to offset the negative natural balance, and in 83 of the 86 municipalities in the region the migratory balance was positive.
The study also highlights the increase in the working-age population. Between 2021 and 2025, all sub-regions of the Norte recorded growth in the population between 25 and 64 years old. In the territories of Alto Minho, Cávado, and the Metropolitan Area of Porto, this increase was accompanied by a rise in the population between 15 and 24 years old. Despite the positive evolution, demographic ageing continues to be a concern in low-density territories, where the natural balance remains negative.
CCDR NORTE considers that the new data shows the Norte entering a new demographic cycle, marked by greater capacity to attract population and by a more widespread distribution of growth across the territory.
