| Net wealth percentile | Net wealth (%) | Assets (%) | Debt (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom 25% | 0.8 | 1.9 | 10.5 |
| P25-50% | 8.5 | 10.8 | 29.6 |
| P50-75% | 18.8 | 19.4 | 24.5 |
| P75-90% | 21.8 | 21.2 | 16.7 |
| P90-99% | 31.7 | 30.0 | 15.7 |
| Top 1% | 18.4 | 16.7 | 3.1 |
How Rich is Your Household?
Wealthy Facts
Table Table I shows the distribution of wealth, assets, and debt across various percentile groups in Portugal for the year 2020. The rows represent segments of the population by net worth: from the bottom 25% to the very top 1%. Each column reports a share (in percentage) of the total net worth, total assets, or total debt held by that segment.
The data reveal marked inequalities. The top 10% of households collectively hold about half of total net worth, while the bottom 25%, making up one in four households, hold under 1%. Despite such low net worth, the bottom 25% carry proportionally high debt—over three times as much as the wealthiest 1%. Meanwhile, the wealthiest 1% themselves hold about 18% of the entire country’s net worth, illustrating the strong concentration of wealth at the top.
Data
Inquérito à Situação Financeira das Famílias (ISFF) 2020 is a survey on Portuguese households. It was done between October 2020 and February 2021 as part of the European Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), which aims to gather harmonized data on households’ financial situation across Europe. The ISFF is coordinated by the Banco de Portugal and Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), following guidelines set by the European Central Bank. The questionnaire covers a wide range of topics, including real assets (such as homes, vehicles, and valuables), financial assets (including deposits, securities, and other instruments), and different types of debt.
The sample design for ISFF 2020 included oversampling in high-income or large-dwelling areas to improve representation of wealthier households. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, data were collected mainly through telephone or online interviews, leading to higher nonresponse factors. The final data include valid responses from 6,107 households out of a target of 14,814. To address missing information, the survey applied multiple imputation, which helps maintain relationships between variables while dealing with uncertainty. Each household response is then weighted to align with official population data, thus ensuring nationally representative results. Estimations based on fewer than 25 observations are not released.
Overall, the ISFF 2020 provides an updated snapshot of wealth distribution, indebtedness, and other financial indicators, serving as a key resource for analyzing households’ financial health in Portugal.
Miguel Salema: Research Fellow, Prosper Research Center, Católica-Lisbon University. Email: misalema@ucp.pt