Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal

Portugal: Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life was 64.6% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
64.6%
Change on year
up 17.9%
World rank
27th
of 34 countries
All-time high
81.6%
in 1996
All-time low
32.8%
in 2012
Years of data
31
1985–2016

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal, 1985–2016

0204060801985200020161985: 54.7 %1986: 65 %1987: 70 %1988: 59.9 %1989: 70.5 %1990: 72.4 %1991: 72.5 %1992: 74.4 %1993: 66.5 %1994: 70 %1996: 81.6 %1997: 62.8 %1998: 59.4 %1999: 66.9 %2000: 65.5 %2001: 66.7 %2002: 62.1 %2003: 55.8 %2004: 59.3 %2005: 58.2 %2006: 59 %2007: 58.7 %2008: 49.4 %2009: 51.2 %2010: 44.8 %2011: 45.7 %2012: 32.8 %2013: 36.1 %2014: 51.5 %2015: 54.8 %2016: 64.6 %

Source: Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal stood at 64.6%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.9% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal peaked at 81.6% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, in 2012.

That places Portugal 27th out of 34 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal, 1985 to 2016.
Year % Change
1985 54.7%
1986 65.0% +18.7%
1987 70.0% +7.7%
1988 59.9% -14.4%
1989 70.5% +17.7%
1990 72.4% +2.8%
1991 72.5% +0.1%
1992 74.4% +2.6%
1993 66.5% -10.6%
1994 70.0% +5.3%
1996 81.6% +16.6%
1997 62.8% -23.1%
1998 59.4% -5.4%
1999 66.9% +12.6%
2000 65.5% -2.1%
2001 66.7% +1.7%
2002 62.1% -6.8%
2003 55.8% -10.2%
2004 59.3% +6.2%
2005 58.2% -1.8%
2006 59.0% +1.3%
2007 58.7% -0.5%
2008 49.4% -15.9%
2009 51.2% +3.8%
2010 44.8% -12.6%
2011 45.7% +2.0%
2012 32.8% -28.2%
2013 36.1% +9.9%
2014 51.5% +42.8%
2015 54.8% +6.4%
2016 64.6% +17.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 64.0% 54.7% 70.5% 5
1990s 69.6% 59.4% 81.6% 9
2000s 58.6% 49.4% 66.7% 10
2010s 47.2% 32.8% 64.6% 7

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 24 Lithuania 67.9% compare
  2. 25 Türkiye 65.6% compare
  3. 26 Italy 65.2% compare
  4. 28 Hungary 63.8% compare
  5. 29 North Macedonia 61.6% compare
  6. 30 Romania 58.9% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal?
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal was 64.6% in 2016, according to Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 81.6% in 1996.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 2012.
How does Portugal rank for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life?
Portugal ranks 27th out of 34 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy-eurobarometer/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life
Unit
%
Source
Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 751 data points, 1973–2016
Last refreshed

Share of people answering "very satisfied" or "fairly satisfied" to the question "On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?"