The Algarve was the region in the country with the highest percentage growth in population in the last ten years, according to preliminary data from the 2021 Census, which was released this Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics.
According to the Census, in 2021, the Algarve has 467.495 inhabitants, 16.489 more than ten years ago. This rise represents a variation of +3,7%, the highest nationally.
In fact, at the national level, apart from the Algarve, only the Lisbon Metropolitan Area region registered an increase in residents, although the increase was, in percentage terms, lower (+1,7%).
If we look at the situation in the Algarve councils, this population increase is reflected in most municipalities, as 11 of the 16 had a population increase in the last 10 years. Only Monchique, Alcoutim, Castro Marim, Vila Real de Santo António and Olhão lost inhabitants.
The municipality of Vila do Bispo was the one that had the biggest increase in relative terms, as it saw the population increase 8,8% in the last 10 years, which corresponds to 464 more people than ten years ago.
Even at national level, Vila do Bispo stands out, being the fifth municipality with the highest relative rise, in a list that is led by Odemira.
In terms of population increases in the Algarve, the municipality of Albufeira also stands out with an increase of 8,2%, that is, 3.330 more inhabitants than in 2011.
It is followed by the municipality of Lagos, with a positive variation of 7,9%, and that of Portimão with 7,7%.
In the opposite direction, Alcoutim was the municipality in the Algarve that had the greatest deterioration in depopulation, with a decrease of 13,6% in the resident population. In practice, this means that 396 fewer people now live in this border county than 10 years ago.
Another municipality in the interior follows: Monchique, which has lost 580 inhabitants since 2011 (-9,6%).
In national terms, the numbers indicate that, in the last decade, Portugal has registered a population decrease of 2%. There are now 10.347.892 inhabitants in Portugal, 21.286 fewer than 10 years ago.
Browse the infographics to see how the population of your county and region has evolved in the last 10 years.
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