National expenditure on environmental protection represented €3.4 billion that year, equivalent to 1.6% of the Gross Domestic Product.

The environmental goods and services sector generated 2.6% of Portuguese gross value added, represented 3.6% of exports and 2.3% of employment, according to INE.

Environmental protection means activities that aim to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution or degradation of the air and climate, waste water management and protection of biodiversity, among other objectives.

The environmental goods and services sector also includes resource management, aimed at preserving and enhancing natural resources such as water, forest, energy or mineral resources.

The production of environmental protection goods and services reached 6.09 billion euros (43.9% of the environmental goods and services sector) and that of resource management exceeded 7.8 billion euros (56.1%).

The management of energy resources concentrated 42.5%, waste management 14.8% and wastewater management 8.8%.

Between 2014 and 2019, exports from the environmental goods and services sector increased by 41.9% and employment increased by 23.8%.