Market Research Companies in Portugal

Key figures for researchers

Population

11,424,031 (31 December 2025)¹

Foreign nationals

1,597,539, 14.0% of residents (31 December 2025)¹

Largest foreign communities

Brazil 484,596 (31.4%), India 98,616, Angola 92,348, Ukraine 79,232 (end of 2024)²

Population by region

Norte 33.2%, Grande Lisboa 21.1%, Centro 15.5% of residents (2025)³

Regions (NUTS II)

9, including the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira (since 2024)⁴

Aged 65 and over

23.4% of the population (2021 census)⁵

Ageing

188.8 people aged 65+ per 100 young people; median age 45.8 years (2025)¹

Internet users

89.5% of people aged 16–74; 60.7% of those aged 65–74 (2025)⁷

Households with internet

90.9%, 87.5% with broadband (2025)⁸

Research guide

Research landscape

Portugal’s research industry is concentrated in Lisbon and Porto: in the 2021 census, about half of residents lived in 31 of the 308 municipalities, mostly in the two metropolitan areas. Full-service agencies, including local offices of international groups, work alongside specialist qualitative, media, B2B and healthcare firms, as well as field, telephone and online panel suppliers.

The industry association is APODEMO (Associação Portuguesa das Empresas de Estudos de Mercado e Opinião), created in 1993. For international studies, ask your agency whether it follows the ICC/ESOMAR International Code.

Languages and fieldwork

Portuguese is the fieldwork language for almost all studies. The foreign population has grown fast: 1,597,539 foreign nationals lived in Portugal at the end of 2025 (14.0% of residents), against 542,314 (5.2%) in the 2021 census. According to the migration agency AIMA, Brazilians are the largest group (484,596, 31.4% of foreign residents at the end of 2024), followed by Indian, Angolan, Ukrainian, Cape Verdean, Nepalese and British citizens. Most Brazilian, Angolan and Cape Verdean residents speak Portuguese, but studies of South Asian or Ukrainian communities may need English or translated questionnaires.

Since 2024, Portugal has 9 NUTS II regions: Norte, Centro, Oeste e Vale do Tejo, Grande Lisboa, Península de Setúbal, Alentejo, Algarve and the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira. Norte holds 33.2% of residents, Grande Lisboa 21.1% and Centro 15.5%, so quotas by region are standard. Foreign residents are concentrated: the districts of Lisbon, Faro, Setúbal and Porto hold 71.3% of them. Face-to-face work in the Azores and Madeira needs local interviewers or travel: check whether a “national” sample includes the islands.

Which methods work

Connectivity is high among younger adults: in 2025, 89.5% of people aged 16 to 74 used the internet, and 90.9% of households had internet access (87.5% broadband). Online surveys using access panels are widely used for consumer research, and video interviews and online communities for qualitative work.

The population is ageing: 23.4% were aged 65 or over in the 2021 census, and there were 188.8 older people per 100 young people in 2025. Only 60.7% of people aged 65 to 74 use the internet, so telephone (CATI) and face-to-face interviews remain needed for older and rural audiences, as well as for B2B and public sector studies. In-person focus groups are usually held in viewing facilities in Lisbon and Porto.

Timing

August is the most sought-after holiday month: employers can schedule holidays between 1 May and 31 October, and many workers take their holidays at the same time in August, so avoid it for B2B work. National holidays in 2027 include Good Friday (26 March), 25 April, 1 May, Corpus Christi (27 May), 10 June, 15 August, 5 October, 1 November, 1 and 8 December and Christmas. Carnival (9 February 2027) is not, as a rule, a mandatory holiday.

Each municipality also has its own holiday: Santo António in Lisbon (13 June), São João in Porto and Braga (24 June) and Rainha Santa Isabel in Coimbra (4 July). School breaks in mainland Portugal in 2026/27: Christmas from 16 December 2026, Carnival 8 to 10 February 2027 and Easter 22 March to 2 April 2027; classes end between 4 June and 30 June 2027 depending on the level.

Data protection

Personal data is governed by the GDPR and Law 58/2019 of 8 August 2019, which implements it in Portugal and has been in force since 9 August 2019. The supervisory authority is the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD).

For online services offered directly to them, minors aged 13 and over can consent to the processing of their data; in other cases, the general rules of the Civil Code apply. Ask your agency how respondents are informed, where the data is hosted and how recordings or video from qualitative work will be shared with you. A genuine research interview must not be used to sell.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, regions (including or excluding the Azores and Madeira), method, languages and deadline.
• Say whether you need to reach migrant communities, and in which languages.
• Ask whether the agency is an APODEMO member or follows the ICC/ESOMAR Code.
• Ask which panels or telephone centres will be used, how quotas by region, age and gender are set, and how older respondents are reached.
• Agree in writing who is controller and who is processor of the personal data, and the retention period.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.