The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) has released the definitive data on live births, deaths, and marriages for 2022.
The data presented is based on information registered in the Civil Registry Offices until March 2023. It should also be noted that the information on deaths in 2022 is subject to revisions after the codification of the causes of death for the respective year.
The definitive results of the demographic statistics of 2022 indicate for the Region a negative natural balance of 1,345 individuals, resulting from a number of live births (1,758) lower than the number of deaths (3,103). The difference between the number of births and deaths has remained negative since 2009, with the 2022 figure accentuating this trend.
Births – Percentage of live births to mothers aged 40 and over has increased again
In 2022, there were 1,758 live births to mothers residing in the Region, 0.8% more (14 children) than in 2021, thus reversing the downward trend in birth rates observed since 2018.
The highest number of births occurred in December (170) and the lowest in June (116).
Of the 1,758 children born in 2022, 51.3% were male, representing a masculinity ratio at birth of 105, that is, for every 100 female children about 105 males were born. In the country this value was equal.
Continuing a trend that has been going on since 2016, the majority of births registered in 2022 occurred out of wedlock, constituting 62.3% of the total (60.2% in the country): 41.8% of parents who lived in cohabitation and 20.5% of parents who did not live in cohabitation.
The highest concentration of births occurred to mothers older than 29 years (64.4%), a percentage lower than the national percentage (66.2%). It should be noted that mothers aged between 30 and 39 years were responsible for 54.9% of the total births recorded this year.
The proportion of live births to mothers aged 40 and over was higher than in 2021 (8.7% in 2021 and 9.4% in 2022), with the number of live births to mothers in this age group increasing from 140 to 160. The number of live births to adolescent mothers (19 or younger) decreased from 34 in 2021 to 25 in 2022 (1.9% in 2021 and 1.4% in 2022).
On average, mothers living in the Region had their first child at age 30.5, slightly earlier than in 2021 (30.8 years).
Deaths – March was the month with the most deaths in the year 2022
In 2022, there were 3,103 deaths, 228 more than in 2021 (2,875 deaths), representing an increase of 7.9%. Of the total number of deaths recorded this year, 81.6% occurred for individuals aged 65 years or more (86.6% in the country) and 52.3% for individuals aged 80 years or older (60.7% in Portugal).
The number of deaths varied throughout the months of the year. The highest record occurred in March (310 deaths) and the lowest value in August (217 deaths).
In 2022, there were 1,453 deaths of men (46.8%) and 1,650 of women (53.2%). Since the beginning of the century, it was not until 2010 that the number of deaths of women began to surpass that of men, with the exception of 2016.
In the year in question, there were 3 deaths of children under 1 year of age (6 in 2021) and 7 fetal deaths of mothers living in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (6 in 2021). As a result, the infant mortality rate stood at 1.7 deaths per thousand live births (3.4 in 2021), above the national average (2.6 deaths per thousand live births).
Marriages – Average age at first marriage increased
In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, in 2022, there were 1,139 marriages, which represents an increase of 31.5% compared to the previous year (866 marriages). Of the total marriages observed in this period, 97.5% were celebrated between people of the opposite sex, with the remainder being celebrated between people of the same sex (29 in total: 11 between males and 18 between females).
The number of marriages varied throughout the months of the year, reaching the highest value in the month of August (151 marriages). The lowest number of marriages occurred in the month of January, with 46 marriages celebrated.
The data also reveals that 67.5% of marriages officiated in 2022 concerned “first marriages”. It should be noted that in 70.9% of marriages, the bride and groom already shared residence before the marriage. According to the property regime, in 65.3% of marriages, the community of acquisitions regime was chosen.
Regarding the form of celebration of marriages between people of the opposite sex, 71.7% were civil services and 28.1% by the Catholic rite.
The average age at first marriage was 33.4 years for women and 34.9 years for men (respectively, 32.7 and 34.7 years in 2021).
In 2022, there were 1,102 marriage dissolutions due to the death of the spouse, 2 fewer than in 2021. These resulted in 311 widowers and 791 widows. The dissolution of marriage on the death of the spouse mainly affects women, due to the longer female life expectancy.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
