Average market risk premium in Portugal 2011-2024

Market risk premiums (MRP) measure the expected return on investment an investor looks to make. For potential investors looking to add to their portfolio, the perfect scenario for a risk-based investment would be a high rate of return with as small a risk as possible. Unfortunately for investors, this is unlikely to happen as average market risks increase due to the added risk of investment. There are three main concepts to MRP’s, including required market risk premiums, historical market risk premiums and expected market risk premiums. In 2024, average market risk premiums in Portugal decreased from the previous year to reach six percent. 

Greece and Turkey highest MRP in Europe

In 2023, Portugal, compared to other European countries had a relatively higher market risk premium. Countries with the highest MRP and therefore of the highest investment risk included Turkey and Ukraine. At the other end of the scale was Switzerland, whose market risk premiums averaged half of those seen in Ukraine.

Risk free rates

Risk free rates are closely associated to market risk premiums and measure the rate of return on an investment with no risk. As there is no risk associated, the rate of return is lower than that of an MRP. Average market risk free rates in Europe (with some exceptions) were relatively low in 2023. The risk-free rate of investment in Portugal as of 2024 was 3.1 percent.