Education is one of the major problems connected with the economic and social distribution of the total resources of the world. Examples of the educational gap between rich and poor countries can be seen by statistical comparisons between Peru and Czechoslavakia and between Guatemala and Denmark which show how unevenly educational resources are distributed throughout the world. The term "socioeconomy" deals not only with economic values but also with the welfare of the individual. Like education, socioeconomic status depends on the social distribution of resources. The goals for adult education to work in a politically distributive way are as follow: (1) to reach those who lack education or have a bad education, and (2) to raise the socioeconomic status and improve the conditions of life for individuals. Socioeconomic obstacles to prevent the fulfillment of these goals are inherent in demographic and social structure. For adult education to overcome these obstacles it must satisfy criteria on both societal and individualistic levels. In Portugal various regions have different socioeconomic structures which must be studied through interviews, statistical descriptions, and analysis before the proper form of adult education can be recommended for them. (This paper is the first in a series resulting from research conducted on Portugal by Sweden under a cooperative agreement between the two governments.) (ELG)