Why Portugal’s Welcoming Attitude Is Backfiring: The Impact of Wealthy Expats

On Portuguese identity, economic disparities, and the arrival of the indecipherable rich

Photo by Manny Moreno on Unsplash

It’s a trend that has become a reality: wealthy foreigners are flocking to Portugal at an astonishing rate, choosing it as their new home. At first glance, this influx might seem entirely positive.

Some might argue that, especially in a country with an aging population, the arrival of new residents is beneficial, even refreshing for a nation known for its hospitality. It all appears to be a win-win situation, with hopes of a much-needed economic boost.

Portugal has long been seen as a welcoming country, embracing the principle expressed in a famous Portuguese song: “If someone knocks humbly at the door, they are invited to sit at the table with us.”

For a long time, this was a mere ideal. We were, as our former dictator said, “proudly alone” — minus the pride for me, given the terrible poverty that man imposed upon our land.

For better or for worse, Portugal has traditionally been a relatively homogeneous country. With a shared history and culture uniting people across a spectrum of modest wealth and everyday hardships, we’ve been more familiar with poverty than prosperity — mention the Troika, the crisis, austerity, and it sends shivers down our spines.

These shared experiences have defined our national character: modest but welcoming, ill-fated but hardworking, cheerful yet melancholic, hopeful but skeptical, overlooked by the world but curious about it. We lived in a somewhat isolated world, but we cherished our way of life: our cuisine, our beaches, our cakes, and our unique worldview.

However, the idea of Portugal as a hidden paradise eventually spread. We transitioned from hosting tourists to welcoming foreigners seeking residency permits and Portuguese nationality, often through ancestral connections.

This shift left many Portuguese perplexed — myself included, I admit — but in true Portuguese fashion, we didn’t interfere. We observed, engaged in some business, and hoped our days of misfortune were behind us.