Riyadh, Dec. 1, 2025 (Lusa) - More and more Portuguese are seeking to move to Saudi Arabia, where the community is still small but growing by around 25% every year, the Portuguese ambassador in Riyadh told Lusa.

According to official figures from the Saudi authorities, in January this year, 1,200 Portuguese nationals had residence cards in that country, Nuno Mathias told Lusa during an official visit by the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Castro Almeida, to the Saudi capital this week.

Portuguese nationals residing in the Saudi kingdom are scattered throughout the country and work in virtually all sectors, including sports, architecture, engineering, technology, consulting, medicine, nursing, and higher education, the diplomat said.

The Portuguese presence is particularly noticeable in the Arab football league, where Portuguese is the second-most-spoken language among players, notably Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr, and members of technical teams.

"It is essentially a community of expatriates, which is very integrated and involved," commented Nuno Mathias.

According to the ambassador, "there is a Portuguese person in every mega-project," referring to the major urban and cultural projects underway in the country as part of the so-called “Vision 2030”, a strategic plan launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to diversify the country's economy beyond oil.

This plan includes projects such as Expo 2030; the 2034 World Cup; Qiddiya, a future entertainment and sports hub, which will include the future Al-Nassr stadium and training centre; King Salman Park, which is set to become the largest urban park in the world, in the Saudi capital; the futuristic city of Neom; and luxury tourism projects on the Red Sea coast.

The ambassador highlighted that the community has been "a great support in promoting Portuguese culture," with cultural events, film cycles, and music shows.

JH/ADB // ADB.

Lusa