Between 2015 and 2022, Portugal increased its social protection expenditure for people with disabilities by only 14%. In the EU countries’ average, expenditure during the same period increased by 23%.
The data from the report “People with Disabilities in Portugal – Human Rights Indicators 2024” was presented by the Disability and Human Rights Observatory (ODDH – ISCSP-ULisboa) on April 24th, 2025, between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The public session was held at ISCSP, in the Óscar Soares Barata Auditorium, and was also streamed online via Zoom.
The eighth edition of the ODDH Report presented, for the first time, a detailed analysis of social protection expenditure on disability. Data provided by Eurostat show that in 2022, only 1,58% of Portugal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was spent on social protection for people with disabilities, compared to 1,87% of GDP in the EU average. In Purchasing Power Parity, since 2015, national expenditure recorded a decrease of -0,24 percentage points, exceeding the level of contraction seen in the European average (-0,11 p.p.). Furthermore, the disparity in social protection spending on disability between Portugal and the EU average has been widening: from 0,16 p.p. in 2015 to 0,29 p.p. in 2022.
Between 2015 and 2023, the risk of poverty remained consistently higher in households with people with disabilities. There is also a worsening of the gap between households with and without people with disabilities, which increased from 9,8 p.p. in 2015 to 10,7 p.p. in 2023.
Although the creation of the Social Inclusion Benefit (PSI) in 2017 represented a significant strengthening of the social protection system — reaching 154 421 beneficiaries in 2023, a 623% increase since its implementation — the data show that the risk of poverty or social exclusion remains consistently higher in households with people with disabilities, worsening in relation to the severity of the disability. Additionally, the gap between households with and without people with disabilities in this indicator has increased from 9,8 p.p. in 2015 to 10,7 p.p. in 2023.
The ODDH 2024 Report also contains, as in previous editions, the analysis of indicators in three additional areas: labor and employment, education and discrimination, and access to justice.
Labor and Employment
In 2022, there was a positive development in the employment rate of persons with disabilities in Portugal (65%), reflecting an increase of 6.3 percentage points compared to 2020. For the first time, there was equality in the employment rate between women and men with disabilities (65%). However, a significant gap (14,7 percentage points) persists between the employment rates of persons with disabilities (65%) and those without disabilities (79,7%), despite a gradual decrease over the years.
Regarding the unemployment rate, although improvements were observed in 2022 compared to 2021 (-2.4 percentage points), unemployment among persons with disabilities in Portugal (14,7%) remains higher than among persons without disabilities (9,1%).
The data on placements from the IEFP do not show a significant increase in the hiring of persons with disabilities in Portugal. In 2024, there were 1 097 placements of persons with disabilities who were registered as unemployed throughout the year, corresponding to 7% of the total number of unemployed persons with disabilities in December of the same year (n = 15 589).
Data from the Social Balance (GEP) show that only 0,72% of the total human resources in private sector companies with more than 10 employees were persons with disabilities. Meanwhile, the Public Employment Statistics Bulletin (DGAEP) reveals that 3,2% of workers in the public sector were persons with disabilities. Despite the low prevalence of workers with disabilities, both indicators have shown gradual growth.
Education
In the 2022/2023 school year, learning and inclusion support measures were provided to 88 682 students, representing 7,4% of the total number of students attending public education in mainland Portugal. The majority of supported students were boys (63%), highlighting an underrepresentation of girls (37%).
Early school leaving continues to be more frequent among students with disabilities. In 2022, the early school leaving rate among students with disabilities (aged 18 to 24) in Portugal was 21,4%, significantly higher than the rate among students without disabilities in the same age group (5,9%).
In higher education, the number of students with disabilities in the 2023/2024 academic year was 4 063, representing an increase of 8,3% compared to the previous year. As for the number of graduates with disabilities, although it remains well below the number of students enrolled in higher education, it has seen a significant increase since 2018/2019 (+68,2%).
A total of 1 534 scholarships were awarded to students with disabilities in the 2023/2024 academic year, an increase of 18,5% compared to the previous year and 88,2% compared to 2019/2020. Regarding adaptations and support resources provided, in 2023/2024, the majority of higher education institutions (78,9%) had specific regulations for students with special educational needs, with such regulations being more common in private institutions (61,3%). About three-quarters of higher education institutions reported having accessible facilities in their buildings.
Discrimination and Access to Justice
A total of 349 complaints were registered for discrimination based on disability or heightened health risk. It is important to note that this number remains considerably lower than the values observed between 2017 and 2021, a period during which annual occurrences often exceeded 1 000. This decline may reflect not so much an actual improvement in the issue of discrimination, but rather a possible loss of confidence in the mechanisms available to address such cases. In fact, of the complaints handled by INR, I.P. in 2023, only two cases resulted in a conviction, while 147 were dismissed. The State remains the primary target of complaints for adopting practices or measures deemed discriminatory, followed by issues related to accessibility—both in transportation and the built environment—and education.
Regarding Access to Justice, in 2023 there was a slightly higher number of individuals deemed unfit to stand trial who were admitted to non-prison psychiatric facilities, as determined by Decree-Law No. 70/2019.
There is also available data on the initiation of new court proceedings for compulsory internment in first-instance courts in Portugal. Between 2015 and 2022, there was a sharp increase in such proceedings. However, in 2023, a significant decrease was observed, with 1 025 fewer cases (-30%). This decline may be linked to the revision of the Mental Health Law, which adopts a human rights–centered approach and promotes a model of community-based mental health care.