History of Portugal in Timeline

Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, occupies the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. It's a unitary republic comprising mainland Portugal and the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores. Lisbon serves as both its capital and largest city. Mainland Portugal shares a border with Spain to the north and east, while Madeira and the Azores are situated in the Atlantic Ocean. Notably, it encompasses the westernmost point of continental Europe.

October 1910: Coup d'état replaces Monarchy with Republic

On 5 October 1910, a coup d'état in Portugal replaced the monarchy with a republic.

1910: Republic Established

In 1910, Portugal became a republic.

1911: Fertility rate high of 5.0

In 1911, Portugal had a fertility rate high of 5.0.

1911: Spain claims Selvagens Islands

Since 1911, the Savage Islands have been claimed by Spain, causing some political tension between the two countries.

May 1926: Coup d'état and creation of Ditadura Nacional

In May 1926, a coup d'état led to the creation of the Ditadura Nacional in Portugal.

1926: Dictatorship Begins

In 1926, Portugal transitioned to a dictatorship.

1933: Right-wing dictatorship of the Estado Novo

In 1933, António de Oliveira Salazar established the right-wing dictatorship of the Estado Novo in Portugal.

1935: Fernando Pessoa

Adventurer and poet Luís de Camões (c. 1524–1580) wrote the epic poem Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), with Virgil's Aeneid as his main influence. Modern Portuguese poetry is rooted in neoclassic and contemporary styles, as exemplified by Bocage (1765–1805), Antero de Quental (1842–1891) and Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935).

1940: Concordata between Portugal and the Holy See

In 1940, Religious freedom was also reaffirmed by the 1940 Concordata between Portugal and the Holy See.

1949: Portugal founding member of NATO

In 1949, Portugal was a founding member of NATO.

1949: Portugal member of Organisation of Ibero-American States

In 1949, Portugal was a member of the Organisation of Ibero-American States.

1955: Portugal Joins United Nations

In 1955, Portugal became a member state of the United Nations.

1956: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation established

In addition to the modernization of public cultural facilities in the 1990s and 2000s, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established in Lisbon in 1956.

1957: Volcanic Eruption

In 1957, there was a terrestrial volcanic eruption (Capelinhos).

1960: Portugal founding member of EFTA

In 1960, Portugal was a founding member of EFTA.

1961: Portugal founding member of OECD

In 1961, Portugal was a founding member of the OECD.

1961: Start of the Portuguese Colonial War

In 1961, the Portuguese Colonial War began.

1961: Civil Procedure Code

The Civil Procedure Code was created in 1961.

1966: Portugal finished third in the 1966 FIFA World Cup

Portugal finished third in the 1966 FIFA World Cup

1966: Portuguese Civil Code

The Portuguese Civil Code was created in 1966.

1971: Amendment to Concordata between Portugal and the Holy See

In 1971, Religious freedom was also reaffirmed by the 1940 Concordata (later amended in 1971) between Portugal and the Holy See.

1971: Government purchased islands and established a natural reserve

In 1971, the Portuguese government purchased the Savage Islands and established a natural reserve area covering the whole archipelago.

April 1974: Carnation Revolution

On 25 April 1974, the Carnation Revolution overthrew the Estado Novo, starting Portugal's transition to democracy.

1974: Dictatorship Overthrown

In 1974, the dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown.

1974: End of the Portuguese Colonial War

The Portuguese Colonial War, which began in 1961, lasted until 1974.

1976: Democracy Established

In 1976, Portugal fully established democracy.

1976: Legislative Election

In 1976, Portugal held a legislative election.

1976: Portuguese Constitution

In 1976, The First Portuguese Republic reiterated in the 1976 Portuguese Constitution that Portugal is a secular state with no official religion, and that the Catholic Church was formally separated from government.

1976: Ratification of the Constitution

Portugal has been a semi-presidential representative democratic republic since the ratification of the Constitution of 1976.

1976: Established largest units

Since 1976, the largest administrative units are either mainland Portugal and the autonomous regions of Portugal (Azores and Madeira).

1982: Constitutional Revision

In 1982, a constitutional revision removed socialist and communist principles.

1982: Penal Code of Portugal

The Penal Code of Portugal was created in 1982.

1983: Portugal full member of Latin Union

In 1983, Portugal was a full member of the Latin Union.

1986: Portugal Joins European Economic Community

In 1986, Portugal joined the European Economic Community.

1986: Portugal leaves EFTA to join EEC

In 1986, Portugal left EFTA to join the European Economic Community.

1989: Constitutional Revision

In 1989, a constitutional revision removed socialist and communist principles.

1993: EEC becomes EU

In 1993, the European Economic Community became the European Union.

1996: Portugal co-founds CPLP

In 1996, Portugal co-founded the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).

1998: José Saramago recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Particularly popular and distinguished is José Saramago, recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature.

1999: Macau Handed Over to China

In 1999, Portugal handed over Macau to China.

2000: Transition from Escudo to Euro

In 2000, Portugal began transitioning from the Portuguese Escudo to the euro (€).

2000: Portugal's Flora

In 2000, over 22% of Portugal's land area was included in the Natura 2000 network.

2001: Decriminalization of Drugs

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized personal possession and consumption of all drugs.

2001: Religious Freedom Act

In 2001, Religious freedom was also reaffirmed by the 2001 Religious Freedom Act.

2001: Gross Agricultural Product

In 2001, the gross agricultural product accounted for 4% of the Portuguese economy.

2002: Euro Consolidated

In 2002, the euro (€) was consolidated as Portugal's national currency.

2003: Anti-Discrimination Employment Law

In 2003, Portugal added an anti-discrimination employment law on the basis of sexual orientation.

2003: Several smaller metropolitan areas also held this status

Several smaller metropolitan areas (Algarve, Aveiro, Coimbra, Minho and Viseu) also held this status from 2003 to 2008, when they were converted into intermunicipal communities, whose territories are roughly based on the NUTS III statistical regions.

2004: Sexual Orientation added to the Constitution

In 2004, sexual orientation was added to the Constitution as a protected characteristic.

2004: Portugal finished second in the Euro 2004

Portugal finished second in the Euro 2004

2006: Adoption of the Bologna Process

In 2006, the Bologna process was adopted by Portuguese universities and poly-technical institutes.

2006: Moura Photovoltaic Power Station began operating

In 2006, the world's then largest solar power plant, the Moura Photovoltaic Power Station, began operating.

2006: Portugal finished fourth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Portugal finished fourth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup

July 2007: First EU-Brazil summit

In July 2007, Portugal hosted the first EU–Brazil summit.

December 2007: Second EU-African Union summit and Treaty of Lisbon

In December 2007, Portugal hosted the second EU–African Union summit and the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon.

2008: Foreign residents acquired Portuguese citizenship

Between 2008 and 2022, more than 340,000 resident foreigners acquired Portuguese citizenship.

2008: The Aguçadoura Wave Farm opened

In 2008, the world's first commercial wave power farm, the Aguçadoura Wave Farm, opened in the Norte region.

2008: Financial crisis

In 2018, Portugal's parliament approved a budget plan for 2019 that included tax breaks for returning emigrants in a bid to attract back those who left during the 2008 financial crisis.

2008: Smaller metropolitan areas were converted into intermunicipal communities

November 2010: NATO summit

In November 2010, Portugal hosted the NATO summit.

2010: Increase in incarceration rate

After 2010, the incarceration rate had a strong increase.

2010: Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

In 2010, Portugal legalized same-sex marriage.

2010: Start of Portuguese Financial Crisis

In 2010, the Portuguese financial crisis began.

2010: Secondary Education Compulsory

Since 2010, secondary education (three years) is compulsory in Portugal.

2013: Prison Population

By 2013, the prison population surpassed 14,000 inmates.

2013: Local government reform

Since the 2013 local government reform, Lisbon and Porto have the only administrative legal status of metropolitan areas

2014: Portugal elected The Best European Country

In 2014, Portugal was elected 'The Best European Country' by USA Today.

2014: Discovery of Aroeira 3 Homo heidelbergensis skull

In 2014, the 400,000-year-old Aroeira 3 Homo heidelbergensis skull was discovered in the Cave of Aroeira.

2014: Portuguese Financial Crisis

The 2010-2014 Portuguese financial crisis led to an international bailout.

2016: LGBT Adoption Allowed

Since 2016 LGBT adoption has been allowed and female same-sex couples have access to medically assisted reproduction.

2016: UEFA Euro 2016 victory

The Portugal national football team won the UEFA Euro 2016, with a 1–0 victory in the final over France.

2017: Law of Gender Identity

In 2017 the Law of Gender Identity simplified the legal process of gender and name change for transgender people in Portugal.

2017: Portugal elected Europe's Leading Destination

In 2017, Portugal was elected Europe's Leading Destination.

2017: Selvagens Islands added to UNESCO list

In 2017, the Selvagens Islands were tentatively added to UNESCO's world heritage list.

2018: Gender Identity Protection

In 2018, Portugal protected the right to gender identity and expression self-determination, and protected intersex minors by law.

2018: Portugal elected World's Leading Destination

In 2018, Portugal was elected World's Leading Destination.

2018: Portugal approves budget plan including tax breaks for returning emigrants

In 2018, Portugal's parliament approved a budget plan for 2019 that included tax breaks for returning emigrants in a bid to attract back those who left during the 2008 financial crisis.

2018: UEFA Nations League

Portugal finished first in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.

2019: Portugal elected World's Leading Destination

In 2019, Portugal was elected World's Leading Destination.

2019: Portugal's Ranking in the Social Justice Index

In 2019, Portuguese society displayed relatively high rates of socioeconomic equality, with the country ranking 24th within the 41 countries of the EU and OECD in the 2019 Social Justice Index.

2021: Census data on religious affiliation

According to the 2021 Census, 80.2% of the Portuguese population was Catholic.

2021: Portugal phased out coal-fired generation

In 2021, Portugal phased out coal-fired generation.

2021: Barranquenho officially recognised and protected

Since 2021, a particular dialect known as Barranquenho, spoken in Barrancos, is also officially recognised and protected in Portugal.

2021: Electricity imports outnumbered exports

Since 2021, electricity imports, mainly from Spain, have outnumbered exports by around 20% as of 2023, with most of the energy coming from renewable sources.

2022: Statistics Portugal study on racial identification

According to a Statistics Portugal study conducted between 2022 and 2023, around 6.4 million people aged between 18 and 74 years old identified themselves as White (84%), more than 262,000 as Mixed-race (3%), nearly 170,000 as Black (2%), 57,000 as Asian (<1%), and 47,500 as Romani (<1%).

2022: Births to unmarried women

As of 2022, 60.2% of births were to unmarried women, and 24.5% of births were to foreign born women.

2022: Foreign residents acquired Portuguese citizenship

Between 2008 and 2022, more than 340,000 resident foreigners acquired Portuguese citizenship. That year, almost 21,000 foreign residents acquired Portuguese citizenship, of which 11,170 were female and 9,674 were male.

2022: HDI

In 2022, Portugal's HDI was 0.874, the 42nd highest in the world.

2022: Gross Agricultural Product

In 2022, the gross agricultural product accounted for 2% of the Portuguese economy.

2023: Adults rating health as good or very good

A Eurostat opinion-poll in 2023 found that 55.4% of adults rated their health as good or very good, the third lowest rate collected in the European Union.

2023: Statistics Portugal study on racial identification

2023: Oil makes up 44% of Portugal's total energy supply

As of 2023, oil made up 44% of Portugal's total energy supply.

2023: National Republican Guard Personnel

By 2023, the National Republican Guard comprised 23,287 personnel.

2023: Electricity imports outnumbered exports

Since 2021, electricity imports, mainly from Spain, have outnumbered exports by around 20% as of 2023, with most of the energy coming from renewable sources.

2023: Portuguese military budget

The Portuguese military budget in 2023 was more than $4 billion, representing 1.48% of GDP.

December 2024: Portugal population statistics

As of 31 December 2024, Portugal had a population 10,749,635, of which 52.2% was female and 47.8% male, according to Statistics Portugal.

2024: Number of legal resident foreigners

As of 2024, legal resident foreigners in Portugal number 1,543,697, or approximately 14% of the population.

2024: Portuguese Armed Forces Personnel

As of 2024, the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces numbered 23,678 military personnel.

2024: Tourism Sector Contribution to GDP

As of 2024, the tourism sector contributed 11.9% to Portugal's GDP, amounting to €34 billion, and contributed 0.3% to an annual GDP growth of 1.9%.

2024: Portugal among the top most-visited countries

By 2024, Portugal was among the top 20 most-visited countries in the world, receiving nearly 29 million foreign tourists.

2024: GDP per capita and total exports

In 2024, Portugal's GDP per capita was 82% of the EU27 average, and total exports represented 46.6% of its GDP.

2024: Lisbon is the 9th most visited city in Europe

Lisbon is the 9th most visited city in Europe, and with 6,7 million tourists occupying the city's hotels by 2024, of which 5,5 million were foreign.

2024: UEFA Nations League

Portugal finished first in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League

2024: Infant mortality rate

Portugal's infant mortality rate (IMR) stood at 2,25 deaths per 1,000 live births as of 2024.

2024: Total fertility rate (TFR) estimated at 1.36 children born per woman

The total fertility rate (TFR) in Portugal as of 2024 was estimated at 1.36 children born per woman, one of the lowest in the world, and considerably below the high of 5.0 in 1911.