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Silves

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Parish of the municipality of Silves (Silves), district of Faro.

Silves had 10.661 residents in the 2021 Census, 26,5% of whom were aged 65 or over, and 14,6% of the population aged 15 or over had completed higher education. It borders 9 parishes and its centroid is 9,5 km in a straight line from the centroid of the municipality of Silves.

Population (inh.)
  • 1.113 – 2.350
  • 2.645 – 2.883
  • 3.954
  • 6.003 – 8.157
  • 10.661
Density (inh./km²)
  • 6,7 – 34,0
  • 60,9 – 107,5
  • 108,6
  • 120,6 – 238,7
  • 751,3
Area (km²)
  • 8,0 – 12,1
  • 21,7 – 24,6
  • 32,8
  • 166,1 – 175,0
  • 239,9
Quantile classes · current parish
Parish highlighted. Click a neighbouring parish to open its page. Geometry: CAOP2025, Direção-Geral do Território (simplified).

The 8 parishes of Silves

Hover a row to highlight it on the map. Click a header to sort.

#ParishPopulationArea (km²)Inhab./km²
1Alcantarilha2.64524,61107,5
2Algoz3.95432,80120,6
3Armação de Pêra6.0037,99751,3
4Pêra2.35021,65108,6
5Silves10.661174,9960,9
6São Bartolomeu de Messines8.157239,8734,0
7São Marcos da Serra1.113166,076,7
8Tunes2.88312,08238,7
Code (DTMNFR)
081307
Resident population (2021)
10.661
Area
174,99 km²
Density
60,9 inh./km²
Share of the municipality (population)
28,2%
Rank in the municipality (population)
1st of 8

INE, Censos 2021 (população residente por freguesia, geografia 2025, ind. 0014584); DGT, CAOP2025 (área). Population refers to the 2021 census moment, compiled by INE for the parish boundaries in force in 2025.

2021 Census in detail

Men
5.250 (49,2%)
Women
5.411 (50,8%)
Portuguese nationality
9.508 (89,2%)
Foreign nationality
1.153 (10,8%)
Ageing index
193,1 elderly per 100 young people
Private households
4.393
Average household size *
2,39 people
Dwellings
6.717
Classic family dwellings
6.702
Buildings
4.733
Buildings with 7 or more floors
5
With higher education (15+)
14,6% (1.343)
Unemployment rate *
9,87% (H 9,51% · M 10,26%)
Active / employed population
4.751 / 4.282

Population by age group

Population by age group0-14 years: 1.464 (13,7%); 15-24 years: 925 (8,7%); 25-64 years: 5.445 (51,1%); 65+ years: 2.827 (26,5%)0-141.464 · 13,7%15-24925 · 8,7%25-645.445 · 51,1%65+2.827 · 26,5%
Residents by age group and share of the total (10.661).
Age groupTotalMenWomen
0-14 years1.464736728
15-24 years925490435
25-64 years5.4452.7012.744
65+ years2.8271.3231.504

Source: INE, Censos 2021 — indicators 0014630, 0014631, 0014627, 0014623, 0014621, 0014635, 0014636, 0012481, 0012328, 0014632, obtained from the INE indicators API on 24/09/2026 (licence CC BY 4.0). Parish geography of 2025 (CAOP2025). Nationality (Portuguese, foreign, stateless) is INE indicator 0014632. * Indicator published by INE only for 2013 parish geography (NUTS 2024); used because the parish has the same territory in both geographies (identical population by sex and age group). Ageing index = population aged 65+ ÷ population aged 0–14 × 100; share with higher education = residents with completed higher education ÷ residents aged 15 or over (our calculations from INE figures).

Neighbouring parishes

São Bartolomeu de Messines · Alferce (Monchique) · Portimão (Portimão) · Alcantarilha · União das freguesias de Estômbar e Parchal (Lagoa) · São Marcos da Serra · União das freguesias de Lagoa e Carvoeiro (Lagoa) · Porches (Lagoa) · Monchique (Monchique)

Straight-line distance to the centroid of the municipality of Silves
9,5 km

Neighbourhood calculated from official boundaries: DGT, Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (CAOP) 2025 (licence CC BY 4.0); two parishes are neighbours when they share a boundary segment. The distance is the straight-line (great-circle) distance between the geometric centroid of the parish and that of the municipality (in territories with islets, of the main part), not a road distance.

2025 local elections — Parish assembly

Registered voters
9.096
Voters
5.297
Turnout
58,23% (2021: 49,60%)
Seats
13
ListVotes%Seats
PCP-PEV
CDU - Coligação Democrática Unitária		1.78833,75%5
PPD/PSD.CDS-PP.IL
JUNTOS ACREDITAMOS - PSD/CDS/IL		1.51228,54%4
PS
Partido Socialista		1.07320,26%3
CH
CHEGA		59311,20%1
BE.L.PAN
Unidos por Silves		1472,78%0
Blank votes951,79%
Null votes891,68%

Most-voted list, which elects the parish-council president: PCP-PEV.

Source: SGMAI — official results of the local elections of 12 October 2025 (Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Administration), consulted on 25/09/2026. Percentages calculated by SGMAI over total voters.

Heraldry

Coat of arms: escudo de ouro, castelo de vermelho lavrado de negro, aberto e iluminado de prata; em chefe, alfange de vermelho e espada de azul, ambos com punhos de negro, passados em aspa; campanha diminuta ondada de três burelas ondadas de azul e prata. Coroa mural de prata com quatro torres aparentes. Listel de prata com a legenda em letras negras maiúsculas: "FREGUESIA DE SILVES".

Flag: esquartelada de branco e vermelho. Cordões e borlas de vermelho e prata. Haste e lança de ouro.

Seal: nos termos do artigo 18.º da Lei n.º 53/91, com a legenda "Freguesia de Silves".

Heraldic ordinance published by Edital n.º 414/2018, Diário da República n.º 77/2018, Série II de 2018-04-19 (issuer: Freguesia de Silves). Excerpt of the official text (coat of arms, flag and seal), reproduced unchanged.

Parish-council contacts

Address
Rua João de Deus, 21
Silves
8300-161 SILVES
Telephone
282442642
Email
geral@jf-silves.pt
Website
www.jf-silves.pt

Source: DGAL - Portal Autárquico (Direção-Geral das Autarquias Locais), consulted on 25/09/2026.

More information

Coordinates
37,22416, -8,44180
Wikipedia
Silves (freguesia)
Wikidata
Q2201530

Source: Wikidata (data under CC0 1.0), consulted on 24/09/2026. The patron saint and coordinates are those recorded on Wikidata.

Sources: INE, 2021 Census (resident population) · DGT, CAOP2025 (area and parishes) · more details · Data updated on 24/09/2026