Real wages rose 3.2% in 2025

The real gross wages for workers in Portugal grew on average 3.2% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to an estimate by the Portuguese Statistics Office (INE). 

Average monthly gross wages per worker increased nominally 5.6% to 1 694 euros in a year where inflation was 2.3%.

Please note that the Government Programme indicates the rise in workers’ wages in all sectors. 

During his inauguration speech as Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro stated in this sense that the Government wants "a society where it is worth more to work than not to".

In the Government Programme discussion in Parliament, the Minister of State and Finance Miranda Sarmento claimed that "in 2024, Portugal was the OECD country where real wages most went up." And the forecasts up to 2027 "show that wages will continue to grow in real terms".

Sectors 

In 2025, in real terms, total wages grew in all sectors except electricity, gas, vapour, hot and cold water, and cold air.

Total monthly wages varied between 1 086 euros in agriculture, animal rearing, hunting, forests and fisheries, and 3 476 euros in the electricity, gas, vapour, hot and cold water, and cold air sectors.

Compared to 2024, the greatest increase was in agriculture, animal rearing, hunting, forests, and fisheries (11.2%) and in public administration and defence (6.9%) and the lowest in the electricity, gas, vapour, hot and cold water, and cold air sectors (1.5%)

Companies

The total real wages rose in all company groups. The greatest rise was in companies with 50 to 99 workers (6.2%) and in companies with up to workers (6.1%). The lowest increase (4.8%) was in companies with 250 to 499 workers.

In terms of company size, total wages varied between 1 144 euros in companies up to four workers and 2 030 euros in companies with 500+ workers.

Industry

Last year, the average monthly gross wages per worker in the manufacturing industry varied between 1 394 euros in low-tech industrial firms and 2 321 euros in high-tech industry, with the average figure 1 593 euros. Total pay in these companies increased 6.1%, 5.6%, and 5.5% respectively in these companies compared to 2024.

In knowledge-intensive services, total pay was on average 2 080 euros, varying between 1 732 euros in companies with market services with strong knowledge intensity and 2 946 euros in the strong knowledge intense financial services. From 2024 to 2025, these wages rose 5.5%, 4.5%, and 3.4%, respectively.

In low knowledge-intensive companies, wages were 1 422 euros, having risen 5.4% compared to 2024.

These results cover 4.9 million jobs, representing Social Security beneficiaries and Caixa Geral de Aposentações pension subscribers, 1.9% than in the same period for 2024.