In September, vehicle registrations in Portugal fell by 13.08% with respect to September of 2008. In total, 16,019 cars were registered and 209,961 new cars were sold in the last twelve months, 23.07% less than the year before.
The breakdown of car sales figures for the month of September is:
- Commercial vehicles sold: 3,925, 14.8% less than in September of 2008.
- Passenger cars regitrations: 12,094, which represents a figure of 12.5% less than in September of 2008.
Portugal is the 36th-placed country in ranking of 135 countries based on number of vehicle registrations.
A very useful variable for estimating the level of economic wealth enjoyed by Portuguese residents, when compared to the other countries in the ranking, is the number of vehicles sold or registered per thousand residents in the last year. With annual sales of 19.88 cars per 1,000 residents, 1.52 of them in the last month, Portugal, occupies 33th place in the ranking.
As can be seen, the number of registrations per thousand residents has fallen in the last year. A drop in registrations generally indicates a fall in consumer confidence and, when it is sustained, a recession in the real economy.
Changes in Portuguese vehicle registration numbers are shown in the tables below. As several studies indicate, these changes are very much related to changes in GDP and, hence, to a country's economic situation. Sales have declined since 1999, as 421,678 were registered that year, as have the number of registrations per thousand residents, which that year numbered 41.4.
Here we show you the progression of vehicle registrations in Portugal. You can see car registrations in other countries in en vehicle registrations and see all the economic information about Portugal in en Portuguese economy.