Lisbon, April 29, 2026 (Lusa) — Portugal's consumer confidence indicator fell to its lowest level in April since November 2023, while the economic climate indicator rose after declining in March, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) said on Wednesday.
INE's latest business and consumer surveys revealed a decline in consumer confidence over the past three months, reaching its lowest level in April since November 2023.
Households' negative assessments of past economic situations, expectations regarding their future financial circumstances, and the country’s broader economic outlook drove this fall. On the other hand, expectations regarding the future evolution of major household purchases made a positive contribution, the institute said.
The surveys indicated that households’ perspectives on their financial conditions and Portugal’s economic situation declined over the last three months (significantly in April), marking the sharpest fall since April and May 2020, respectively. The institute also analysed views on past price trends, which rose significantly in April, recording the largest increase since May 2008.
Meanwhile, the balance of expectations regarding future price trends fell, following increases in the previous three months, significantly in March, when it recorded the second-largest increase in the series, reaching its highest figure since March 2022.
The economic climate indicator, which is based on business surveys, rose in April after falling in March.
Retail, construction, and public works sectors showed higher confidence levels, while the services and manufacturing industries fell.
The confidence level within the manufacturing industry fell in April to its lowest level since October 2023, due to negative assessments of finished goods inventories and production expectations.
Businesses' prospects for future selling prices rose across all sectors, particularly in the construction industry, where this indicator reached its highest level since November 2022.
Looking ahead to 2027, most manufacturing (65.8%) and service companies (69.7%) expect investment to remain stable compared with 2026.
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