Portuguese in Estonia

Estonian Portuguese

Luso-estonianos (Portuguese) "Portugali inimesed Eestis (Estonian)
João Lopes Marques, probably the best known Portuguese expatriate in Estonia
Total population
254 [1]
Languages
Estonian, Portuguese
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism), Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Other Portuguese people, Portuguese in Latvia, Portuguese in Lithuania

Portuguese in Estonia (Estonian : Portugali inimesed Eestis) are citizens and residents of Estonia who are of Portuguese descent.

Portuguese in Estonia (also known as Portuguese Estonians/ Estonian-Portuguese Community or, in Portuguese, known as Portugueses na Estônia / Comunidade portuguesa na Estônia / Luso-estonianos) are the citizens or residents of Estonia whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal.

Portuguese Estonians are Portuguese-born citizens with a Estonian citizenship or Estonian-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.

There were 254 foreign residents holding Portuguese citizenship living in Estonia as of 2020. ^[2] They thus constituted 0.02% of the country's population.

History

Map showing the location of the two countries within Europe

The history of the Portuguese community in Estonia is very recent. Both countries are EU as well as NATO members. They also share a common currency. Some Portuguese have come to the region for study purposes: as of 2022, 8 Portuguese students were studying in Estonia. ^[3]

Remittances

Romanian and Portuguese F-16s patrol help shielding the skies over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing (BAP)

The Portuguese community in Estonia retains strong ties with its homeland and, between 2000 and 2021, it has sent approximately 2.3 million euros (€) to Portugal in remittances. In the same timeframe, Estonians in Portugal (numbering around 400 individuals) ^[4] have sent approximately 7.27 million euros (€) to Estonia. ^[5]

Portuguese language

Portuguese embassy in Tallinn

One of the most notable contribution of the Portuguese to Estonia has been the spreading of the Portuguese language. As shown by the 2021 Census, Portuguese is the 19th most spoken foreign language in Estonia, with 1,010 claiming fluency in the language. ^[6] In addition, there were other 263 people (of whom 11 ere Estonian nationals) who declared Portuguese to be their mother tongue, for a total of 1,273 Portuguese speakers in Estonia in 2021 accounting for 0.1% of the country's population. ^[7]

As of today, the Portuguese are part of a wider Portuguese-speaking community in Iceland, comprising around 10 people from PALOP countries (the majority being from Angola), Timor-Leste or Macau and around 710 Brazilians. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} People from CPLP countries thus number around 980 people, accounting for 0.07% of the population of Estonia.

Notable people

• João Lopes Marques (1971): Portuguese Tallinn-based writer, journalist and blogger

See also

• Estonia-Portugal relations
• Latvia-Portugal relations
• Lithuania-Portugal relations
• Portuguese in Latvia
• Portuguese in Lithuania

References

1. "Eurostat".
2. "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
3. "HT309: STUDENTS BY COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE AND CITIZENSHIP". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
4. "Sefstat" (PDF).
5. "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 July 2023.
6. "RL21438: POPULATION BY COMMAND OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, SEX, AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE (SETTLEMENT REGION), 31 DECEMBER 2021". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
7. "RL21442: POPULATION BY ETHNIC NATIONALITY, MOTHER TONGUE, CITIZENSHIP, SEX, AGE GROUP AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE (SETTLEMENT REGION), 31 DECEMBER 2021". PxWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
8. "All valid permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship on 31 December of each year". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
9. "Acquisition of citizenship by age group, sex and former citizenship". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
10. "Population on 1 January by age group, sex and country of birth". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
11. "Brasileiros no exterior" (PDF).