Madeira remains one of Portugal’s most socially and economically vulnerable regions, according to the report “Portugal, Social Balance 2025” by researchers from Nova School of Business and Economics. Although Portugal has seen an overall fall in poverty in recent years, the study says deep regional inequalities still persist, especially in the autonomous regions. The Azores recorded the second-highest poverty rate in Portugal at 17.3%, while Madeira also showed severe hardship. Madeira had the second-highest level of material and social deprivation in the country, affecting 15.1% of the population and standing well above the national average. The report says these problems are not limited to income, but also involve living conditions, access to essential services, housing quality, and wider economic insecurity. It notes that many Madeiran families continue to face daily difficulties even as national economic indicators improve. The study also found that social transfers and government assistance reduce poverty in Madeira by around eight percentage points, showing how heavily many households depend on public support. Researchers conclude that Portugal remains a deeply unequal country in territorial terms and call for more targeted policies to address the specific realities of regions such as Madeira.
