From 1975 to 2026, electoral participation in Portugal has declined significantly

From 1975 to 2026, there was a downward trend in electoral participation, despite the recovery seen in elections in recent years. When breaking down the types of elections held since 1975 - presidential, legislative, local and European - the average participation between 1975 and 2026 was highest in elections to the Assembly of the Republic (65.4%) and lowest in elections to the European Parliament (40.8%).

Considering all national elections in Portugal from 1975 to 2026, the average electoral participation rate for the population residing both in Portugal and abroad was 58.5%. This figure rises to 61.2% when considering only the registered and voting population residing in Portugal.