Ethnic minorities face greater challenges
Beyond economic hardship, ethnic minorities face disproportionate levels of discrimination.
Ethnic minorities in Portugal face significantly more challenges in accessing housing, full-time employment, education, and healthcare compared to the white population, according to a new report titled Ethnic Minorities and Discrimination in Portugal, based on data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), cited by PÚBLICO.
“These communities are in a very fragile economic situation,” says economist Susana Peralta, one of the report’s authors.
“They are overrepresented among the poorest people in Portugal, and many cannot meet their basic expenses.”
The report highlights stark disparities in housing.
While around 75% of white individuals own their homes, only 44% of ethnic minority residents do. In contrast, 45.3% of minorities live in rented accommodation, compared to just 15.2% of whites.
Additionally, 36.9% of minority households report poor thermal comfort in their homes, often due to substandard conditions or inability to afford heating, versus 24.6% among whites.
Although ethnic minorities are generally younger, healthier, and less prone to chronic illnesses, they report lower satisfaction with healthcare services.
Around 11% reported difficulty accessing medical care, compared to 8.3% of whites, and 5% lacked access to prescribed medication due to financial constraints — more than double the white population (2%).
Educationally, minorities are less likely to hold higher education degrees.
Nearly 39% reported having to abandon their studies due to financial hardship. While 60.1% of minorities are employed, a rate similar to the white population, they are more likely to work in part-time, temporary, or precarious jobs.
The unemployment rate among minorities is 18.9%, compared to 7.2% among whites. Permanent work contracts are less common (72% vs. 85.5%), and part-time work is twice as prevalent (10.3% vs. 5%).
Access to transportation is another area of inequality. Only 60% of ethnic minority individuals own a car, versus 80% of whites.
As a result, minorities rely more heavily on public transport, with 33.8% using it regularly compared to 15.9% of whites.
Ethnic minorities are also more likely to live in densely populated urban areas, particularly the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (50%), where economic opportunities coexist with heightened socio-economic challenges.
In contrast, the white population is more evenly distributed across the country.
The report also notes that only 71.9% of ethnic minorities hold Portuguese nationality, compared to 97.6% of whites.
About 47.5% of minorities were born in Portugal, while the rest primarily come from PALOP countries (24.3%), Brazil (15.4%), and Asia (8%). Approximately 68% are first-, second-, or third-generation immigrants.
Widespread Discrimination
Beyond economic hardship, ethnic minorities face disproportionate levels of discrimination.
While 13.9% of white individuals report having been discriminated against, that number rises to 40.3% among minorities.
Over 50% of minorities say they have witnessed discriminatory behavior, compared to 35.3% of whites.
The reasons cited for discrimination include skin color (54.7%), ethnic group (52.4%), and country of origin (51.7%). For white individuals, social status is the main factor.
Discrimination frequently occurs in vulnerable situations, when seeking employment, housing, healthcare, or even during interactions with police.
“These perceptions reflect structural discrimination that affects minorities’ access to basic rights such as safety and protection,” the report notes.
Many do not report incidents due to a belief that doing so would not lead to meaningful change.
Discrimination takes place across everyday environments — in workplaces, schools, shops, and public spaces.
“These communities are discriminated against in their day-to-day lives,” says Peralta.
“Mechanisms of discrimination, often based on skin color, are constantly at play. This represents a collective failure to build an inclusive society.”