Good to know
Good to Know
- Funchal hosts 52.6% of Madeira's registered foreign population, making it the primary destination for international residents in the region
- Official statistics capture residence permit holders only; actual international resident count (including digital nomads on tourist visas, undocumented long-stayers) is structurally higher than registered figures
- Brazilian and German nationals showing strongest recent growth; Venezuelan community remains largest single nationality but declining
- Real estate market showing sustained international demand as of early 2026, despite absence of precise digital nomad census
Official Population
- Year
- 2024
- Total
- 105795
- Note
- Official municipality population; urbanized core including surrounding parishes ~150,000
Registered Foreign Residents
- Estimated Funchal 52 Percent
- 7371
- Foreign Percent Of Funchal Population
- 6.9
- Year
- 2023
- Source Basis
- Official Madeira Regional Statistics Directorate (DREM) data; 52.6% of regional foreign population concentrated in Funchal
- Total Madeira Region
- 14060
Broader Foreign Expat Estimate
- Documented Reality
- Growing expat/nomad population evident from real estate market activity and community presence, but specific total undocumented
- Note
- No official city-level count of unregistered digital nomads, tourist-visa residents, or long-stayers available. Official registration captures residence permit holders only. Demand from international buyers and digital nomads documented as sustained and growing as of early 2026, but discrete numerical estimate for Funchal cannot be reliably sourced.
Top Nationalities Madeira Region
Venezuela
- Percent
- 15.5
- Note
- Largest single nationality, though numbers declining (6.1% decrease 2022-2023)
United Kingdom
- Percent
- 10.3
Fastest growing; +34.3% increase 2022-2023
- Percent
- 10.3
- Country
- Brazil
Germany
- Percent
- 10
Italy
- Percent
- 5.2
Notable Expat Communities Funchal
British, German, French nationals documented as significant portions of international residents; community described as thriving and diverse
Tech Startup And Business Presence
- Funchal Presence
- Limited; Mobmio (mobile app growth platform) based in Funchal is notable tech startup
- Broader Context
- Lisbon and Porto are primary startup hubs nationally. Portugal overall: 4,719 startups (Nov 2024), growing tech ecosystem with government support, but concentration outside Madeira region
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Funchal
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.