Cávado: population, economy and official figures

Cávado is a intermunicipal community in Norte, Portugal. Cávado had 433,039 residents on 1 January 2025, 11.7% of Norte and 4.03% of Portugal; 6th largest of 26 intermunicipal communities in Portugal.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Cávado: GDP per person was 28,000 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 70% of the EU average (82% for Portugal); 12th highest of 26 intermunicipal communities in Portugal.
• Health in Cávado: The Cávado had 7.6 nurses per 1,000 residents at the end of 2024, below the national figure of 8.0 and 12th lowest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions.
• Education in Cávado: The retention and dropout rate in basic education in the Cávado was 1.5% in 2023/2024 (national: 3.9%), 3rd lowest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions.
• Poverty and living standards in Cávado: Police recorded 21.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in the Cávado in 2024, below the national figure of 33.0 and 2nd lowest of 26 among Portugal’s NUTS 3 sub-regions.
• Government budget and revenue in Cávado: The 6 municipal councils (câmaras municipais) of the Cávado took in €356.6 million and spent €372.5 million in 2023, according to their provisional accounts.
• Government and politics in Cávado: In the local elections of 12 October 2025 the 6 municipal council presidencies in the Cávado were won as follows: 3 by the PSD alone, 1 by PSD/CDS-PP coalitions, 1 by other parties and coalitions, 1 by independent citizens’ lists.

Figures come from Portugal's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.

Other intermunicipal community in Norte

• Área Metropolitana do Porto 1,818,217
• Ave 423,255
• Tâmega e Sousa 409,078
• Alto Minho 234,645
• Douro 183,867
• Terras de Trás-os-Montes 107,296
• Alto Tâmega e Barroso 83,445

Up a level: Norte · all regions of Portugal · how local power works in Portugal

Sources

• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
• 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 demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
• 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…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.