Portugal’s car reliance drags down its climate record

Portugal ranks among the EU’s lowest per‑capita greenhouse‑gas emitters and has a high share of renewable energy, but its environmental performance is undermined by a strong dependence on cars. From 1990 to 2023 public‑transport use fell from 29 % to 12 % of trips, while car use rose from 72 % to 88 % of passenger kilometres. In 2023, 88.2 % of passenger kilometres were made by car – the third‑highest share in the EU – whereas buses accounted for only 7.5 % and trains 4.2 %, half the European average.

The Portuguese car fleet more than tripled between 1990 and 2024, moving from one vehicle per five people to one per two. In 2024, over 40 000 new electric cars were sold, representing 20 % of total car sales and exceeding the EU average of 13.5 %. Despite this, transport contributed 34.4 % of national emissions in 2024, the fourth‑largest share among EU members, with roughly 20 % linked to gasoline and diesel combustion. While Portugal’s overall emissions per capita are low, the country was the third‑slowest in the EU to reduce emissions between 1990 and 2024.