Life expectancy at birth rises in Portugal

Life expectancy at birth in Portugal increased by more than three months in the 2023–2025 period compared with the previous three years, rising from 81.57 to 81.85 years, the National Statistics Institute (INE) announced.

By TPN/Lusa, in News · 01 Nov 2026, 20:03 · 0 Comments

INE data show that life expectancy increased by 3.4 months for men and 3.1 months for women, reaching 79.22 and 84.26 years, respectively.

The North region (NUTS II, statistical regions) recorded the highest life expectancy at birth over the past three years, at 82.31 years – 79.83 for men and 84.57 for women.

“By contrast, the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores recorded the lowest figures”, at 80.06 and 78.69 years respectively.

INE statistics also show that, during the 2023–2025 period, the largest differences in life expectancy between men and women were recorded in the Azores and Alentejo. Women in these regions could expect to live an average of 6.21 and 5.97 years longer than men, respectively.

The smallest differences in life expectancy between the sexes were recorded in the North and Oeste e Vale do Tejo regions, at 4.74 and 4.75 years respectively.

At the sub-regional level (NUTS III), “the highest life expectancy at birth was recorded in Cávado, at 83.06 years”.

At the age of 65, life expectancy was estimated at 20.19 years for the population as a whole in the 2023–2025 period. This means men could expect to live for a further 18.49 years and women for 21.55 years, representing increases of 1.6 and 2.3 months respectively compared with the 2022–2024 period. The difference in life expectancy between the sexes stood at 3.06 years.

The North region also recorded the highest life expectancy at age 65 over the past three years, both for the population as a whole (20.49 years) and for men (18.93 years) and women (21.75 years).

At the sub-regional level, Cávado and the Coimbra Region recorded the highest life expectancy at age 65, at 21.28 and 20.99 years respectively, according to INE.

The statistics also show that the largest differences in life expectancy at age 65 between women and men were recorded in the Setúbal Peninsula and the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Women in these areas could expect to live an average of 3.27 and 3.30 years longer than men, respectively, while Oeste e Vale do Tejo recorded the smallest gap between the sexes, at 2.65 years.