Trade between France and Portugal reaches €16Bn

Trade between Portugal and France rose to €16Bn in 2024 according to figures from the National Statistics Institute. (INE)

French companies in Portugal are the main overseas employers in the country thanks to around 1,200 companies employing 100,000 employees.

During the State visit of French president Emmanuel Macon on Thursday and Friday last week, France’s bilateral relationship with Portugal was described as “excellent” and “displaying the deep ties between the two countries”, not to mention the more than 2 million Portuguese descendants living in France and 50,000 French living in Portugal.

In economic terms, France is Portugal’s third most important trading partner with a commercial turnover of €15.8Bn.

Franco-Portuguese cooperation has increased considerably in recent years. This can be seen in the number of commercial exchanges and relations; France is Portugal’s third trading partner absorbing 9.3% of Portugal’s goods (behind Spain and Germany).

Last year, Germany surpassed France in terms of Portuguese exports and came second place as Portugal’s largest customer, behind Spain, reflecting the increases in industrial supplies, transport equipment and machinery and appliances. For its part, Portugal was the 15th most important customer and the 16th most important supplier to France in 2024.

IMAGE: EPA/JOSE COELHO
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