The foreign population living in Madeira continued to rise in 2025, reaching a record 19,371 residents and representing 7.3% of the Region’s total population. Figures released on Wednesday by the Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) show that the number of foreign residents has more than doubled since 2021, underlining the growing role of immigration in population growth. According to DREM’s Resident Population Estimates, the Autonomous Region of Madeira had 266,130 inhabitants on the 31st of December 2025, including 19,371 foreign nationals. That was 1,779 more than in 2024, a 10.1% increase, while the Portuguese population slipped by 349 residents to 246,759. DREM said migration is helping to offset the Region’s negative natural population change and is also strengthening the working-age population. Between 2021 and 2025, the foreign population rose from 7,423 to 19,371, a gain of 11,948, or 161%, and its share of the total population climbed from 2.9% to 7.3%. Madeira still has one of the lowest proportions of foreign residents in Portugal, ranking second among the NUTS II regions behind only the Azores, while the Algarve and Greater Lisbon recorded much higher shares.
