95–100% | |
90–95% | |
50–70% | |
30–35% | |
10–20% | |
5–10% | |
4–5% | |
2–4% | |
1–2% | |
< 1% |
Portugal is an overwhelminglyChristian majority country, with adherents ofIslam being a small minority. According to the 2021 census, Muslims represent around 0.4% of the total population of the country.[2] However, many centuries back, Islam was a major religion in the territory of modern-day Portugal, beginning with theMuslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. Today, due tosecular nature of theConstitution of Portugal,Muslims are free to convert, practice their religion, and buildmosques.
According to the 1991 census recorded byInstituto Nacional de Estatística (the NationalStatistical Institute ofPortugal), there were 9,134 Muslims in Portugal, about 0.09% of the total population.[3] The majority of Muslims in the country areSunni, followed by approximately 20,000 to 22,000Shia Muslims, 65% of them areIsmaili.[4] Most of the Muslim population in the 1990s originated from the formerPortuguese overseas provinces ofPortuguese Guinea andPortuguese Mozambique with most of the latter having their origin in formerPortuguese India. The majority of the Muslims currently living in Portugal are fromMozambique andGuinea-Bissau, with the remaining population coming from theMaghreb, theMiddle East (includingSyria), andBangladesh.[5]
From 711 to 722, all the territory of what is nowPortugal and then theVisigothic Kingdom was invaded by the ArabicUmayyad Caliphate and subsequentMoorish Sultanates ofArabic,Arabised andBerber people. By the year 1000, Islamic rule was still prevalent in much of what is now Portugal, namely south of theMondego river, and later, for many more decades, across theAlentejo andAlgarve regions of what is modern Portugal. During the period of Muslim rule, western Iberia was calledGharb Al-Andalus (the west ofAl-Andalus). Over the course of PortugueseReconquista the Christian military forces retook almost all of formerLusitania and the Muslim Arab and Berber military forces retreated toAlgarve in the 1200s and were defeated during the course of the 13th century. However, their presence in Andalusia, a neighboring Spanish region, would stay strong for another 250 years.[6] This presence has left somecultural heritage in Portugal, such asIslamic art and Arabic-inspiredtoponyms and words. The town ofMértola, in theAlentejo, possesses the only partial remains in the country of an early medieval mosque, changed and converted into aCatholic church (Church of Nossa Senhora da Anunciação) after theReconquista.
The Islamic Community of Lisbon was formed in March 1968 by a group of Muslim university students who, at the time, were studying in the Portuguese capital. But even before the constitution of the community, in 1966, a committee composed of ten elements (five Muslims and five Christians) asked the Lisbon City Council for a plot of land to build a mosque. The Community, in its beginning, was mostly made up of families from the ex-colonies that went to Portugal after theCarnation Revolution on 25 April 1974, namely Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, as well as some people from North Africa (Morocco and Algeria), Pakistan, Bangladesh and members of the several embassies of Arab countries accredited in Portugal. Only later, in September 1977, a piece of land on Avenida José Malhoa was ceded.
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The laying of the first stone took place in January 1979 and the inauguration of the first phase of construction took place on March 29, 1985. By then, the community was already estimated at more than four thousand people (1981 Census), mostly from the former Portuguese colonies. According to the 1991 census recorded byInstituto Nacional de Estatística (the NationalStatistical Institute ofPortugal), there were 9,134Muslims in Portugal, about 0.1% of the total population.[3] As of 2021, the community is estimated at 65 thousand people (many from theMaghreb and theMiddle East, notably fromSyria andIraq, as well as fromAfghanistan andBangladesh among other countries) and spreads over several parts of Portugal, most prominently within theLisbon Metropolitan Area,Porto Metropolitan Area, andAlgarve.[7]
On 17 October 2025 theparliament ofPortugal approves a ban onface veils for "gender or religious" reasons and making it punishable by up to 2000euros. The bill, promoted byright wing partyChega, is up for decision toPresidentMarcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who can approve, veto, or refer the bill to theConstitutional Court for review.[8]
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TheAga Khan Development Network has been present inPortugal since 1983. Agreements were established between the Ismaili Imamat and Portugal, particularly the Protocol of Cooperation with the Portuguese Government signed in 2005 as well as the Protocol of International Cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was signed in 2008.
In 2015, Lisbon was chosen to be the global seat of theNizari Isma'ili community, the second largestShia denomination in the world. On July 11, 2018 theAga Khan decided to move his global headquarters along with his official residence toPortugal. On June 3, 2015 Portugal's Minister of State and Foreign AffairsRui Machete and His Highness theAga Khan signed a landmark Agreement between the Republic of Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat for the establishment of a formal Seat of the Aga Khan inPortugal.[9] The accord, which was approved by Portugal's Parliament and the President ofPortugal, will result in intensified cooperation betweenPortugal and the Aga Khan Development Network in attempting to support research and the knowledge society as well as attempting to improve the quality of life of Portugal's inhabitants.
The Aga Khan recently acquired theHenrique de Mendonça Palace, a 12-million-euro estate he has renamed the "Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat", to take place as the new Global Headquarters and serve as an administrative structure to coordinate the Aga Khan Development Network.[10]Rui Machete told the Portuguese daily national newspaperPúblico, “It is natural that an institution with an annual budget of between €600-€900 million will bring something toPortugal."[11] TheAga Khan stated that he also has goals to, “plough money into health and social protection services in Portugal."[11] TheAga Khan is followed by more than 15 millionMuslims worldwide, of which 15,000 who live in Portugal.[10]
TheAga Khan Development Network moving its headquarters toLisbon, Portugal allows there to be a connection between Lisbon and the rest of the world in which the Aga Khan Development Network is affiliated. The international organization has many ties to Lisbon, not only because theIsmaili population is one of the biggest there, but also because most funding is coming from private sector partners which are located within Lisbon. Through various programs and initiatives,The Aga Khan Development Network is drastically changing the quality of life in Portugal in ways that are beneficial to people living there. The Aga Khan Development Network has been present in Portugal since 1983 focusing on research and innovative direct intervention in the areas of early childhood education,social exclusion and urban poverty.[10] The activities in Portugal operate within the framework of the agreements established between theAga Khan Development Network and the Protocol of Cooperation with the Portuguese Government.
