The majority of permanent citizens of Indian origin living in Portugal are descendants of the former Portuguese colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu, and the southern cities of Calicut and Kochi, with which Portugal once had a prominent spice trade. But now the new Indian immigrants in Portugal are from Gujarat, Punjab and Kerala. Additionally, there is a large NRI population, primarily Indians working as IT professionals. The Indian diaspora is concentrated in major cities such as Lisbon, Porto, Lagoa, Coimbra, Garda, Leiria, Odemira and Rio Maior. Over the past 15 years, both countries have been deepening bilateral trade ties, resulting in more Indians living, working and settling in Portugal. Indian culture, particularly that of Goa, is strongly prevalent among Indians living in Portugal as Goa was the headquarters of Portugal’s Asian-European trade for nearly 400 years. The current Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, is of Indian origin, being half Goan.
Indians have mixed so well with the citizens here that almost 90 percent speak Portuguese. Portugal was the first foreign nation to issue a Gandhi postage stamp on Khadi in 2019. There is a road named after Gandhi in the municipality of Covilha, while there is a statue of him in Madeira.
