In 2020, companies in the defence sector outperformed the national average, reveals a joint study by idD Portugal Defence, the National Defence Institute and the GEE of the Ministry of Economy. These data confirm the importance of continuing to strengthen the Defence Technological and Industrial Base, which contributed to the resilience of the national economy in a year of severe disruptions due to the pandemic.
Portuguese companies that are part of the Defence Economy – which sell part or all of their production to the Defence sector – showed greater resilience than the Portuguese economy during the pandemic crisis in terms of exports, although more affected in domestic sales:
- The combined sales of companies reached 4.6 billion euros, a decrease of 3.1% in 2020 (compared to 2019), more than what the rest of the economy experienced (down 2%);
- However, the weight of exports in the Defence Economy rose from 2% to 2.5% of total national exports in 2021, meaning that companies in this industry were less affected by the decrease in international trade;
- Exports maintained their weight
