Portugal bought more U.S. food and farm goods in 2025 than ever before, and a record tourist season is one reason why.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service said Portugal imported $563 million in U.S. agricultural, fish, and forest products in 2025, the highest total on record. The finding comes from a July 29 exporter guide (GAIN Report PO2026-0001) published through the agency's Madrid post.
Key Facts
- U.S. agricultural, fish, and forest exports to Portugal reached $563 million in 2025.
- Portugal welcomed 32.5 million foreign tourists in 2025, a 3% increase over 2024.
- Outside the EU, the United States was Portugal's second-largest source of agricultural imports in 2025.
Portugal's total imports of agricultural and related products reached $22.4 billion in 2025, up from $19.8 billion the year before, according to the report.
The European Union supplied 78% of that total, with Spain the leading source at 45%. Outside the EU member states, the United States ranked second, ahead of Brazil and other non-EU suppliers.
U.S. exports to Portugal grew every year from 2022 to 2025, from $289 million to $563 million. Source: USDA GAIN Report PO2026-0001.
Record Tourism Numbers Sustain Portugal's Food Import Demand
Portugal's tourism sector had what the report calls a golden year in 2025. Foreign arrivals hit 32.5 million, a 3% increase over 2024.
Overnight stays climbed to 82.1 million, up 2.2% from the prior year, according to data the report cites from Tourism Portugal. The agency expects growth to moderate in 2026 after two straight record years pushed the sector toward capacity.
The tourism boom feeds directly into demand for consumer-ready food. Portugal's food and beverage manufacturing sector generated $26 billion in output in 2025 and exported $10.5 billion of that total, according to the report.
The sector is the country's largest contributor to national economic output and employment. It employed 113,658 people across 11,518 processing companies.
U.S. Exports to Portugal Reach a Record High
U.S. agricultural, fish, and forest exports to Portugal reached $563 million in 2025, a 36% jump from $415 million in 2024. That put the United States in second place among Portugal's suppliers outside the EU, behind only member states that together hold 78% of total imports.
The gains were not even across categories. U.S. consumer-oriented food product exports held nearly flat at $20 million in 2025, up from $19 million the year before.
Fish products rose to $19 million from $16 million. The report lists five categories as the year's top U.S. growth areas:
- Dog and cat food
- Cod and fish fillets
- Food preparations
- Condiments and sauces
- Pulses
EU Rules Govern What U.S. Exporters Can Sell in Portugal
Portugal is part of the EU customs union. Imported food there must clear the bloc's sanitary and phytosanitary standards rather than a separate Portuguese one, the report said.
Exporters already selling into other EU countries typically meet most Portuguese requirements already. Animal product shipments still require separate approval for the production plant itself.
Products facing the steepest barriers, the report said, include:
- Red meat, blocked by the hormone ban
- Poultry, under sanitary chlorine-wash rules
- Food made with genetically modified ingredients
Tree nuts, pulses, sunflower seeds, frozen fish, and spirits are listed as categories already selling well. Free-from and functional health foods are flagged as having room to grow.
