<p>Pollination is a key ecosystem service that supports agriculture and food security, with significant economic relevance. Yet, national-scale assessments remain scarce, despite their critical role in informing policy design and implementation. Here, we use Portugal as a case study to explore the temporal variation and economic value of insect pollinators in agricultural production. This study provides the first economic valuation of pollination services for crop production in Portugal by integrating national agricultural statistics with crop-specific pollinator dependence values for the last four decades. Our results show that 54% of the crops in Portugal directly depend on insect pollination for their production. In 2023, the total economic value of pollinator-dependent crop production was over 2 billion euros, with 53% directly attributable to pollinators. The highest contributions came from fresh fruits and vegetables, including both highly and moderately pollinator-dependent crops. Notably, even crops with low pollinator dependence values were major contributors to pollination value, primarily due to their high production volumes and economic importance. We also found a significant increase in the cultivated area of pollinator-dependent crops, increasing the reliance on pollination services. Although Portugal retains relatively high pollination potential, ongoing agricultural intensification and landscape simplification threaten wild pollinator communities and may lead to pollination deficits. This highlights the need for targeted landscape and farm-level measures to support pollinators and ensure long-term agricultural sustainability. Our results provide a clear baseline for future policy and land-use planning and reinforce the urgency for mainstreaming pollinators and pollination into agricultural and biodiversity agendas.</p>