According to data from “Demographic Statistics 2018” released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), in 2018 there were 113,051 deaths of residents in Portugal, 3,293 (3 percent) more than in 2017.

The gross mortality rate was 11‰, higher than 2017 (10.7 per thousand inhabitants).

In 2018, the lowest gross mortality rate belonged to the Autonomous Region of the Azores (9.4‰) and the highest were the Alentejo regions (14.8‰).

According to statistics, the infant mortality rate rose from 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 2.7 in 2017.

Last year, the lowest infant mortality rate was in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (2.1 per 1,000 live births) and the highest in the Algarve (4.2 per 1,000 live births).

The number of deaths during the first year of life was higher in 2018 compared to 2017, a difference of 0.2 percent (58 deaths).

"The reduction in the risk of mortality at almost all ages, with the consequent survival of people to increasingly advanced ages, has resulted in an increase in the number of deaths among older people," says the document.

January 2018 was the month in which most people died (a daily average of 396 deaths), followed by February (395 deaths).

“The analysis of the monthly mortality index allows to observe the seasonality of mortality. In 2018, the months of January and February were the months with the highest intensity of mortality relative to the annual average of deaths. Excess mortality is, however, predominant at the age of 75 years or older compared to the deaths of people under the age”, he says.

Circulatory diseases were in 2018 causing 32,732 deaths of residents in Portugal, constituting the leading cause of death (29 percent of total deaths of residents).

In the same year, 27,849 deaths were caused by malignant tumours, which remained the second leading cause of death, with 24.6 percent of all deaths.

Last year, malignant tumours were the leading cause of death in the male population, and women died mainly from circulatory diseases.

Demographic Statistics 2018 indicate that over the period 2016-2018 life expectancy at birth was estimated at 80.8 years for both sexes, 77.78 for men and 83.43 for women, which represents a gain 0.87 and 0.64 years, respectively, compared with the estimated values ??for 2011-2013.

The Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores are where the lowest values ??for life expectancy at birth are recorded in all three years considered, says INE.