How many people live in the Algarve? The answer of 450,000 has been fixed in people’s minds for years but the current resident population has been shrinking this total, taken from 2010 figures.
Despite a healthy influx of foreigners, last year alone, the Algarve population declined by 1,852 to give an 11,687 decline in numbers compared to seven years ago.
According to data released by the National Statistics Institute, on December 31st 2017, the population living in the Algarve numbered 439,617 people, with the only municipality gaining in numbers being Albufeira - all the remaining 15 Council areas have fewer residents now than in 2010.
This decline of 11,687 people is the equivalent of losing more than all the residents of São Brás de Alportel (10,459) or those living in Alcoutim, Aljezur and Monchique, which together total about 13 thousand inhabitants.
The other problem is the age profile with the elderly population growing and the younger population declining. The under 15s now number 66,357, the lowest figure in the last ten years.
Conversely, the number of people aged 65 and over has risen to 93,683, the highest figure in recent decades.