These data were released on 28 July by the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) as part of the National Neonatal Screening Program, the records of which cover almost all births occurring within the national territory.

Geographic distribution reveals that the majority of births in the first six months of the year were concentrated in major coastal urban centres.

Lisbon led with 13,217 screened babies, followed by Porto (7,733), Setúbal (3,513), and Braga (3,243).

Conversely, the districts with the lowest birth volumes are located in the country's interior; Bragança recorded the lowest figure (263), followed by Portalegre (272), Guarda (358), and Vila Real (445). On a monthly basis, January was the most active month of the half-year, with 7,908 births, while February recorded the lowest figure for the first half of the year, with 6,593 babies.

The six-month data reinforce the upward trend that began the previous year, during which 87,708 newborns were analysed, the highest annual figure of the last decade. From a ten-year comparative perspective, births in the first half of the year rose from 42,758 in 2016 to the current 43,181, representing a net increase of 423 babies.

The statistics are based on the "heel prick test"—an examination performed between the third and sixth day of a newborn's life via a blood sample taken from the heel—which is vital for the early diagnosis and treatment of genetic conditions such as phenylketonuria or congenital hypothyroidism.