Portugal among five countries with most elder abuse; support group aided 8,540 victims in five years

Scale of the problem

Portugal is one of the five countries with the highest level of violence against elderly people, according to the World Health Organization, a ranking highlighted by the national health service (SNS) in a social media post marking 15 June 2026. The SNS described mistreatment of the elderly as a serious public health issue, linking it to depression, cognitive and physical decline, avoidable hospitalisations, early admission to care homes and premature mortality. The consequences, the SNS added, ripple into physical, psychological, financial, social and economic damage.

Mistreatment of the elderly is a serious public health problem, which can trigger serious consequences.

Five years of APAV data

The Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) released five-year statistics on the same day, showing it had assisted 8,540 elderly victims of crime and violence, an average of five per day. The total number of crimes and other forms of violence recorded reached 15,804, while the number of older people supported rose by 26.5% between 2021 and 2025.

Domestic violence accounted for 78.9% of the cases (12,465 crimes). Other reported crimes included threat or coercion (3.7%), bodily harm (3.7%), defamation or insult (3%) and fraud (2%).

Who suffers and who inflicts

Three out of four victims were female (76.3%), and almost half (49.4%) were aged 65 to 74. The vast majority (92.7%) were Portuguese nationals. More than half of the perpetrators (55.9%) were male, with the largest age group being 25 to 64 (29.8%). Violence occurred mostly within the family, and adult children were the single largest group of aggressors (32.3%), ahead of spouses (21.5%).

Hidden suffering and silence

The report lays bare how long abuse remains hidden. Over half of the victims (53.6%) were in a situation of continued victimisation, and almost a quarter (23.4%) endured violence for two to six years before seeking help. Despite the severity, 46.6% never filed a complaint or had their situation reported to the authorities.

These statistics reinforce the need to keep investing in prevention, early detection and specialised support for elderly victims of crime and violence, as well as in raising society’s awareness of a reality that is frequently invisible.

How to get help

The SNS urged the public to stay alert, detect signs, report cases and seek support through the national network of Adult Violence Prevention Teams (EPVA) in primary and hospital care. Reports can also be made to the police (PSP or GNR) or the Public Prosecutor’s Office. APAV, founded in 1990, offers free and confidential legal, psychological and social support via its offices and the Victim Support Line (116 006).