Portugal Economy and Demographics 1991
The town, which at the 1991 census counted 9,853,100 residents, Retains a positive natural demographic dynamic; but compared to a birth rate that in the 1960s was close to 20ı per year, today there are values around 11ı (the mortality rate has been around 10ı for some time); significant of the improved standard of living is the decrease in infant mortality, which went from over 50ı (1970) to 9.8ı (1991). In addition to the structural trends of the population, since the mid-1970s, almost one million returns from the former colonies have made it possible to overturn the situation of serious demographic crisis, which was caused in those years by a significant emigration.
Emigration, however, still has a considerable consistency, especially towards the United States and Brazil, although it is often only temporary, at least for European destinations (France, Germany). Population growth has not been uniform, and the current distribution tends to favor coastal urban areas (especially those centered on Lisbon and Porto), essentially to the detriment of inland regions. The capital has an almost stable municipal population (830,500 residents In 1988, 817,627 in 1981, 829,900 in 1975), while the population is strongly increasing in the metropolitan area as a whole: in 1960 the concelho of Lisbon counted well over half of the population of the ” Greater Lisbon ”, but in 1981 it did not reach a third of the total. L’ Outra Banda), in the direction of Setúbal. Similarly, the city of Porto (about 350,000 residents) hosts one third of the total population of its metropolitan area
Economic conditions. – According to World Bank estimates, in 1991 Portuguese per capita income amounted to $ 5,930 (at the same date, Spain 12,450, Italy 18,520, France 20,380), and over the past fifteen years it is estimated that it has increased on average by 2, 5-3% per year. It remains the lowest income among those of the countries belonging to the European Union, and the gap with the income of the residents of the other EU countries is always significant (with the exception of Greece, whose population enjoyed a per capita income that was around $ 6350 a year). For Portugal 2008, please check payhelpcenter.com.
Despite the restructuring that, especially in relation to the entry into the European Community (1 January 1986), has affected the Portuguese economy, it is still characterized by the great importance of the primary sector. It employs over 17% of the active population (with peaks of 50% in some regions), but contributes only about 6% to the formation of the gross domestic product. Large space is dedicated to traditional productions: first of all wine (the cultivation of vines extends over 375,000 ha; in 1991 14.5 million q of grapes and almost 10 million q of wine were produced), olive oil (3 million q of olives and 260,000 q of oil), timber and cork, fruit (in particular, again in 1991, almost 2 million q of apples and 1 million q of pears, as well as peaches, plums, apricots, oranges, etc.).
The secondary sector housed less than 35% of the total labor force and contributed 40% to the formation of GDP (1991 estimates). Examining the productive branches (and neglecting the mining sector which, despite having discrete mineral resources – e.g. cupriferous pyrites, tungsten, iron, etc. – has a negligible weight in the composition of the domestic product, occupying less than 1% of the forces of work), it is noted that alongside the traditional textile processes (always very important in the Portuguese production context: in 1992 they contributed more than 20% to total exports), metallurgical, clothing and paper, new plants have established themselves in the fields of mechanics, chemistry, electromechanics.
By now, the tourist presence is very important, with over 20 million visitors in 1992. Finally, it should be noted the progressive diversification of Portuguese international trade, among which the main partners are today (with France, Germany, Great Britain, United States) Spain and Italy.