Demographics
Administratively the Azores are divided into 19 municipalities with each municipality further subdivided into civil administrative parishes called freguesias. There are a total of 156 parishes across the Azores.
Cities of the Azores
There are six cities located in the Azores:
- Ponta Delgada, Lagoa, and Ribeira Grande in São Miguel;
- Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória in Terceira;
- Horta in Faial.
Population by Island (2021)
The table below provides an overview of the population distribution across the Azorean islands as of 2021, along with the number of municipalities and their main settlements.
| Island | Group | Population | % Total | Amount of Municipalities | Municipalities | Main Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Miguel | Eastern | 133,295 | 56.38 | 6 | Lagoa, Nordeste, Ponta Delgada, Povoação, Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo | Ponta Delgada |
| Terceira | Central | 53,244 | 22.52 | 2 | Angra do Heroísmo, Praia da Vitória | Angra do Heroísmo |
| Faial | Central | 14,334 | 6.06 | 1 | Horta | Horta |
| Pico | Central | 13,883 | 5.87 | 3 | Lajes do Pico, Madalena, São Roque do Pico | Madalena |
| São Jorge | Central | 8,373 | 3.54 | 2 | Calheta, Velas | Velas |
| Santa Maria | Eastern | 5,408 | 2.29 | 1 | Vila do Porto | Vila do Porto |
| Graciosa | Central | 4,091 | 1.73 | 1 | Santa Cruz da Graciosa | Santa Cruz da Graciosa |
| Flores | Western | 3,428 | 1.45 | 2 | Lajes das Flores, Santa Cruz das Flores | Santa Cruz das Flores |
| Corvo | Western | 384 | 0.16 | 1 | Vila do Corvo | Vila do Corvo |
| Total | 236,440 | 19 |
Historical Population
The population of the Azores has fluctuated significantly over the years, as shown in the historical data below:
| Year | Population | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1864 | 249,135 | — |
| 1878 | 263,305 | +5.7% |
| 1890 | 255,487 | -3.0% |
| 1900 | 256,673 | +0.5% |
| 1911 | 242,941 | -5.3% |
| 1920 | 231,543 | -4.7% |
| 1930 | 255,464 | +10.3% |
| 1940 | 287,080 | +12.4% |
| 1950 | 318,459 | +10.9% |
| 1960 | 327,476 | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 289,096 | -11.7% |
| 1981 | 243,410 | -15.8% |
| 1991 | 237,795 | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 241,763 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 246,772 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 236,413 | -4.2% |