Economy, jobs and prices in Alentejo Central (Alentejo, Portugal): official figures
GDP per person was 28,200 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 71% of the EU average (82% for Portugal); 11th highest of 26 intermunicipal communities in Portugal.
How big is the economy of Alentejo Central?
The local economy produced €3.6 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Alentejo Central?
About 74,730 people worked in Alentejo Central in 2023 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Alentejo Central?
The mean gross monthly earnings of employees working in Alentejo Central were €1,272 in 2023, 12th highest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions and below the national figure of €1,461.
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyWhat is the gender pay gap in Alentejo Central?
The gender gap in mean monthly earnings in Alentejo Central was 6.9% in 2023 (national: 8.3%), 7th narrowest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions.
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyWhat is the average income in Alentejo Central?
In 2023 residents of Alentejo Central declared €11,492 of gross income per inhabitant to the tax authority, 7th highest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions (below the national figure of €11,909).
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyWhat is the median household income in Alentejo Central?
The median gross declared income of a tax household in Alentejo Central was €15,104 in 2023, above the national figure of €14,660.
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyHow important is tourism in Alentejo Central?
Tourist accommodation in Alentejo Central offered 49.5 bed places per 1,000 residents in 2024 (national: 46.0), and 40.5% of guests came from abroad (61.4% nationally).
Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Alentejo Central?
The largest part of the economy of Alentejo Central in 2023 was public administration, education, health and other services, at 29.8% of gross value added, followed by trade, transport, hospitality and communications (20.2%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Alentejo Central?
Factories, mines and energy produced 16.8% of the value added in Alentejo Central in 2023, against 16.6% for Portugal.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Alentejo Central growing?
Gross value added rose from €2.0 billion in 2015 to €2.9 billion in 2023 in current prices, an increase of 43% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Alentejo Central?
Of the 74,730 jobs located in Alentejo Central in 2023, 35% in public services, education, health and other services, 15% in industry and 15.5% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Alentejo Central?
The number of people working in Alentejo Central rose by 4.4% between 2015 and 2023, to 74,730.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 19.0% of employees in Alentejo Central held a higher-education degree in 2023, below the national figure of 25.8% (13th highest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions). Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- 22.2% of employees in Alentejo Central worked in establishments of firms with 250 or more staff in 2023, against 30.6% nationally. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Mean monthly earnings in Alentejo Central in 2023 were €1,242 in services and €1,371 in industry and construction; the national services figure was €1,507. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Personal income tax paid absorbed 11.1% of gross declared income in Alentejo Central in 2023 (12.9% nationally), 11th highest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Goods exports by firms based in Alentejo Central were equal to 25.4% of the area’s GDP in 2024 (export intensity; national 27.3%), 13th lowest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
- Exports covered 194.3% of imports for traders based in Alentejo Central in 2024, above the national figure of 73.6%. Source: INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal) · saved copy
How Alentejo Central compares with other intermunicipal communities in Portugal
Mean gross monthly earnings of employees (€) (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 12 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Mean gross monthly earnings of employees (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Região de Coimbra | €1,319 |
| 10 | Região Autónoma dos Açores | €1,315 |
| 11 | Cávado | €1,276 |
| 12 | Alentejo Central | €1,272 |
| 13 | Lezíria do Tejo | €1,261 |
| 14 | Médio Tejo | €1,259 |
| 15 | Viseu Dão Lafões | €1,240 |
Gross income declared for IRS per inhabitant (€) (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 7 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Gross income declared for IRS per inhabitant (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Área Metropolitana do Porto | €12,013 |
| 5 | Alentejo Litoral | €11,691 |
| 6 | Região de Aveiro | €11,515 |
| 7 | Alentejo Central | €11,492 |
| 8 | Algarve | €11,403 |
| 9 | Região de Leiria | €11,364 |
| 10 | Região Autónoma dos Açores | €11,211 |
Median gross declared income per tax household (€) (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 6 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Median gross declared income per tax household (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Região de Coimbra | €15,553 |
| 4 | Região de Leiria | €15,253 |
| 5 | Região de Aveiro | €15,110 |
| 6 | Alentejo Central | €15,104 |
| 7 | Área Metropolitana do Porto | €14,949 |
| 8 | Médio Tejo | €14,540 |
| 9 | Cávado | €14,514 |
Gender disparity in mean monthly earnings (%) (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 20 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Gender disparity in mean monthly earnings (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Região Autónoma dos Açores | 7.5% |
| 18 | Alto Minho | 7.0% |
| 19 | Alto Tâmega e Barroso | 7.0% |
| 20 | Alentejo Central | 6.9% |
| 21 | Lezíria do Tejo | 6.7% |
| 22 | Tâmega e Sousa | 5.8% |
| 23 | Região Autónoma da Madeira | 5.3% |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 21 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Alto Tâmega e Barroso | 20.7% |
| 16 | Área Metropolitana do Porto | 19.9% |
| 17 | Oeste | 19.8% |
| 18 | Beiras e Serra da Estrela | 19.2% |
| 19 | Terras de Trás-os-Montes | 16.9% |
| 20 | Alto Alentejo | 16.9% |
| 21 | Alentejo Central | 16.8% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 10 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Alto Minho | 20.2% |
| 8 | Viseu Dão Lafões | 20.1% |
| 9 | Beiras e Serra da Estrela | 20.0% |
| 10 | Alentejo Central | 19.5% |
| 11 | Médio Tejo | 19.2% |
| 12 | Lezíria do Tejo | 19.1% |
| 13 | Alto Alentejo | 18.9% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2023)
Alentejo Central ranks 3 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terras de Trás-os-Montes | 32.8% |
| 2 | Beiras e Serra da Estrela | 30.0% |
| 3 | Alentejo Central | 29.8% |
| 4 | Alto Alentejo | 29.4% |
| 5 | Douro | 28.6% |
| 6 | Região de Coimbra | 28.1% |
| 7 | Beira Baixa | 27.0% |
More on Alentejo Central: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Alentejo · Portugal
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- INE, Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (Statistics Portugal): Anuarios Estatisticos Regionais 2024 (Regional Statistical Yearbooks, 2025 release): all subchapter tables in XLSX by municipality, NUTS 3 and NUTS 2, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 36f716bda712…)
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