In 2023, malignant tumors stood out as the main cause of death in the various age groups between 30 and 74 years old in Madeira, while diseases of the circulatory system prevailed in the deaths of residents in the Region aged 75 and over.
The data, recently released by the Regional Directorate of Statistics (DREM), presented figures on causes of death in Madeira disaggregated by municipality, age group, and sex.
In the year under review, 2,791 residents died in Region, which represents a decrease of 10.1% compared to 2022 (3,104 deaths). Of these deaths, 1,369 were male (49.1%) and 1,422 female (50.9%).
By age group, one child under one year of age died, corresponding to an infant mortality rate of 0.6‰ (1.7‰ in 2022). Between 1 and 14 years of age, there were four deaths of children, two of which were related to malignant tumors. In the group of young people aged 15 to 24, there were 10 deaths, with emphasis on three due to “transport accidents” and three due to “malignant tumors (neoplasms).”
Among adults aged 25 to 64, there were 514 deaths, mainly due to “malignant tumors (neoplasms)” (182 deaths), “diseases of the circulatory system” (107 deaths), and “external causes of injury and poisoning” (59 deaths). In the 65 to 84 age group, there were 1,252 deaths, with emphasis on malignant tumors (neoplasms), (339 deaths), “diseases of the circulatory system” (313 deaths, 102 of which due to “ischemic heart diseases”) and “diseases of the respiratory system” (186 deaths, including 94 due to “pneumonia”). Finally, among the 1,010 deaths aged 85 and over, 298 had “diseases of the circulatory system” and 200 due to “diseases of the respiratory system” as the cause of death, of which 114 were attributed to “pneumonia.”
At the municipality level, and in proportional terms, the municipality of Funchal registered 1,224 deaths (43.9%), followed by Santa Cruz with 376 deaths (13.5%) and Câmara de Lobos with 266 deaths (9.5%). These municipalities accounted for 66.9% of the deaths in the Region. On the other hand, the municipalities of Porto Santo (53 deaths; 1.9%), Porto Moniz (55 deaths; 2.0%), São Vicente (82 deaths; 2.9%), and Santana (94 deaths; 3.4%) had fewer than 100 deaths in 2023, totaling 10.2% of deaths.
The cause of death due to “diseases of the circulatory system” stood out as the main cause in the Region (25.8% of total deaths) and also in the municipalities of Calheta, Funchal, Ponta do Sol, Porto Moniz, Santana, and São Vicente. In Câmara de Lobos, Santa Cruz, and Machico, the main cause of death was due to “malignant tumors (neoplasms).” At the same time, in Ribeira Brava, mortality from “Diseases of the respiratory system” was the predominant cause (40 of the 160 deaths). The mortality rate from this cause of death in the Autonomous Region of Madeira was 2.8‰, the same as that recorded at the national level. By municipality, this rate was higher in Porto Moniz (8.8‰), followed by São Vicente (5.1‰) and Santana (4.9‰). The municipalities of Porto Santo (1.8%), Santa Cruz (1.9%), and Câmara de Lobos (2.0%) had the lowest mortality rates from this cause of death.
Mortality from “Malignant tumors (neoplasms)” was the second most common cause of death in the Autonomous Region of Madeira in 2023, with 649 deaths, corresponding to 23.3% of all deaths and a mortality rate of 2.5‰, a rate lower than the national rate of 2.7‰. The municipalities of Funchal (296 deaths), Santa Cruz (92 deaths), Câmara de Lobos (67 deaths), and Machico (57 deaths) were the ones with the highest number of deaths from this cause. In the remaining municipalities, the number of deaths was less than 30, with Porto Moniz standing out with only 10 deaths. In terms of mortality rate, the municipalities of Porto Moniz (4.0‰), São Vicente (3.7‰), Santana and Porto Santo (both 3.1‰), Machico (2.9‰), and Funchal (2.8‰) were the ones with the highest rates and above the regional average (2.5‰). The lowest rate was observed in the municipalities of Ribeira Brava (2.0‰), Câmara de Lobos, and Santa Cruz (both with 2.1‰).
It should be noted that, in terms of rate, mortality from malignant tumours was higher than mortality from diseases of the circulatory system in the municipalities of Porto Santo (3.1‰ compared to 1.8‰), Machico (2.9‰ compared to 2.5‰), Santa Cruz (2.1‰ compared to 1.9‰), and Câmara de Lobos (2.1‰ compared to 2.0‰).
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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