Lisbon, Oct. 23, 2025 (Lusa) - Digitisation has contributed to a 13% increase in GDP, and AI is now the main driver of productivity and disruption, according to the authors of the study on the Impact of the Digital Economy in Portugal, as reported by Lusa.
When asked which data he highlights, Filipe Grilo, scientific leader of the study carried out by the Digital Economy Association, ACEPI, and digital transformation hub, GoingNext, in partnership with Porto Business School, emphasised that it "suggests that digitisation has contributed to a 13% increase in Portuguese GDP [gross domestic product], 19% in employment and 13% in wages".
According to the Porto Business School professor, "this impact goes far beyond technology companies: it covers all sectors that use digital tools in their operations," from industry to retail, agriculture, logistics, and tourism.
In total, "the digital sector helps to sustain around 3 million jobs, generate €90 billion in gross value added and contribute €30 billion in tax revenue".
For example, the technology core alone — the so-called “pure digital sector” — "already accounts for 500,000 jobs and €17 billion in added value, with a multiplier effect of 2.7 on the Portuguese economy: for every euro generated, almost triple that amount is created in total economic value," he continued.
"These figures make it clear that digital is not just a sector, but a cross-cutting driver of modernisation and structural growth, with a direct and indirect impact on the entire economy," said Filipe Grilo.
Portugal "is no longer structurally behind in terms of access to technology; we have networks, we have software, we have infrastructure." Now the challenge is "to use digital technology intelligently to transform business models, internal processes and the way value is created," said the professor.
"And that is where there continues to be a structural blockage in Portugal — often, technology is adopted, but it is not well integrated, it remains on the surface" and this blockage "is linked to a deeper problem: a chronic deficit in management quality, which is reflected in the difficulty in aligning people, processes and technology in a consistent manner," pointed out Filipe Grilo.
Digital transformation "requires leadership with vision, execution capacity and clear metrics — and this is not solved with software, it is solved with organisational competence," he stressed, noting that "it is at this level that institutions such as Porto Business School seek to intervene, helping companies and managers to develop the necessary maturity for digital to produce real results — not only in technological indicators, but above all in productivity, competitiveness and value creation".
Regarding the role of artificial intelligence (AI), Gabriel Coimbra, partner at GoingNext, pointed out that it is "today the main driver of productivity and economic disruption in Portugal, acting as a catalyst for digital transformation in virtually all sectors."
The study identifies that AI can be applied in three areas: automation and operational efficiency; value creation and new business models; and structural transformation of the public sector, he listed.
More than three-quarters (77%) of companies using AI "already report concrete productivity gains, mainly through the automation of repetitive tasks, data analysis and improved customer service. But much more is needed, especially in terms of value creation and new business models," he added.
On the other hand, "AI allows for the development of data-based products and services, real-time personalisation and “as-a-service” solutions, strengthening national competitiveness, which is where we are most behind," pointed out Gabriel Coimbra.
"The study concludes that Portugal has solid conditions to lead the new phase of digital innovation, with robust infrastructure, qualified talent and a business ecosystem increasingly prepared to include AI into its production processes, health, education and public administration, but it is necessary to further accelerate adoption and value creation in the short and medium term," he concluded.
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Lusa
