According to the publication "Health Statistics," released on World Health Day, there was a 1.8 percentage point (p.p.) increase compared to the previous year, with the increase more evident among men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 65 or older.

The results of the 2025 Survey on Living Conditions and Income (ICOR) by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) indicate that the prevalence was more frequent in women (47.6%) than in men (40.2%) and affected the elderly population twice as much: 69.7% of those over 65 years of age, compared to 33.9% in the population under that age.

Retirees

Retirees are the most affected (70.3%), followed by the unemployed (43.3%) and the employed population (32.5%). Regionally, Madeira registers the highest prevalence (47.5%) and the Algarve the lowest (38.5%), the only region below 40%.

According to the INE, the proportion of people who reported having a chronic illness or a prolonged health problem was considerably lower for the population that had completed secondary education (31.5%) or higher education (32.5%), compared to the population with basic education (54.5%) and, especially, to the population without any completed level of schooling (78.5%).

Regarding limitations in daily activities, 23.8% of the population reports some restriction, with 4.8% reporting severe cases. Women (27.2%) and the elderly (47.5%) report more limitations.

Age difference

The age difference is most evident in severe limitations: 11.4% among those aged 65 or older, compared with 2.1% among younger individuals.

The data indicate that education level also plays a role: only 11.2% of those with higher education and 13.1% of those who completed secondary education reported limitations, compared to 33.2% with basic education and 63.3% with no schooling.

Among the employed population, 11.5% report limitations, compared to 23.9% of the unemployed, 27.2% of non-retired inactive individuals, and 47.9% of retirees.

In the European context, Portugal registered in 2024 the third-highest proportion of the population with chronic disease or prolonged health problems in the EU-27, and one of the seven Member States with a proportion above 40%.

Life expectancy at birth in Portugal was estimated at 82.5 years in 2023 (85.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men).

“Considering the information regarding the existence of limitations due to health problems, the estimate of healthy years of life at birth was

59.6 years for the total population, and lower for women (58.3 years) than for men (61 years),” underlines the INE (National Institute of Statistics).