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The indicator shows the share of material recovered and fed back into the economy – and thus saving extraction of primary raw materials – in overall material use.
In 2010, Portugal recorded a circular material use rate of 1.8%, revealing low levels of circularity. From 2012 to 2014, a sharp increase (to 2.5% in 2013) was registered, mostly due to the reduction in domestic material consumption, which was a consequence of the contraction of the Portuguese economy.
From then until 2017, when the first Portuguese circular economy action plan was approved, stagnation was observed. From 2017 to 2021, even with the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Portugal registered a smooth increase of nearly 0.1% per year, reaching 2.70% in 2021. The following years registered an inconsistent trend: a sharp increase in 2022 (to 3.3%) was followed by an abrupt decrease in 2023 (to 2.8%).
Despite the anaemic increase registered between 2013 and 2021, Portugal is still far from achieving the EU target (23.2% by 2030). Reaching it will be very challenging, requiring a ninefold increase.
Nevertheless, it is important to mention that various national plans and strategies, already in place, incorporate actions that will contribute to this goal. Furthermore, a new circular economy action plan (for 2025–2030) is expected to be approved, which aims to leverage circular economy in Portugal and enable convergence with the EU target.
References and footnotes
- ↵Eurostat, ‘Domestic material consumption per capita’, ten00137, 7 August 2024, accessed 24 June 2025, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ten00137/default/table?lang=en.