Lisbon, June 5, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal has one of the lowest per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Europe and also one of the highest amounts of renewable energy generated, but this performance is undermined by its heavy reliance on cars.
The data was compiled and published by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation via the Pordata statistics database and released to mark World Environment Day, which is celebrated on Friday.
In a world where GHG emissions must be reduced, for which transport is one of the main culprits (in Portugal, it is the main one), the country has succumbed to the car: from 1990 to 2023, the use of public transport fell from 29% to 12%, whilst car use rose from 72% to 88%.
Whilst Portugal shows some positive indicators in the environmental picture, the overall picture is marred by its dependence on cars.
Data from 2023 indicate that 88.2% of passenger kilometres are travelled by car (the third-highest figure in the EU). Meanwhile, kilometres travelled by those using buses account for just 7.5%, and by train 4.2%, half the European average.
From 1990 to 2024, the number of cars in Portugal more than tripled, rising from one car per five people to one per two people.
Further data on cars shows that in 2024, over 40,000 new electric cars were sold in Portugal, accounting for 20% of the total and exceeding the European average (13.5%). In Denmark, more than half of new cars were electric.
Despite the figures on electric cars, the reality is that transport accounts for 34.4% of emissions (2024 data), the fourth-highest figure in the EU, with around 20% of national emissions linked to the combustion of petrol and diesel.
The data now released by Pordata indicates that, although Portugal is the third-lowest country in emissions per capita (surpassed only by Sweden and Malta), it was the third-lowest in reducing emissions between 1990 and 2024. All EU countries reduced emissions.
Other data now released indicate that, in 2024, in Portugal, the main sources of final energy consumption (by households, industry and transport) were petroleum products (42.9%), electricity (26.4%), renewables (19.5%) and natural gas (10.2%).
In terms of renewable energy consumption, Portugal ranks sixth in the EU and is above the European average.
Portuguese households account for a smaller share of energy consumption than the European average.
According to the figures, they rely mainly on grid electricity (43.2%) and renewable sources (36.7%), whilst the European average relies mainly on natural gas (29.7%) and electricity (26.6%).
Portugal is among the four EU countries where more than 95% of energy production comes from renewable sources.
This year’s World Environment Day focuses on climate change, with Azerbaijan hosting the global celebrations.
The date marks 5 June 1974, when the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) began, the first major UN meeting on the environment.
FP/ADB // ADB.
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