Women are 19.7% more at risk of poverty or social exclusion

As women have a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion (SPE) in 19.7% compared to men, reveals the report “Poverty and Social Exclusion in Portugal 2026”, presented today in Porto.

Data from the report, based on the latest data from the 2025 Life and Income Survey, gender inequality remains a structural barrier, with women being the most vulnerable social group and at a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than men (19.7% compared to 17.3%).

In the generational plan, although the overall risk in childhood has retreated 19.2%, there is an “internal fracture among children under six years old, who have benefited from a significant reduction to 15.2%, and adolescents between 12 and 17 years old, who have seen their vulnerability worsen to 24%, concentrating today virtually all child poverty in Portugal”, reads in the document delivered to journalists during the opening session of the XVIII National Forum Against Poverty and Social Exclusion.

One of the main conclusions of the report is that in 2025 in Portugal “more than 500,000 people lived with less than 482 euros per month”.

“ People living in poverty [in Portugal] have particularly worrying pockets of poverty. More than 500,000 people living under 482 years of age per month,” said sociologist Paula Cruz, from EAPN Portugal – European Anti Poverty Network.