On the International Day of Families, celebrated on May 15th, Statistics Portugal and the Observatory of Families and Family Policies of the Institute of Social Sciences (OFAP/ICS) launch the publication Famílias nos Censos 2011: Diversidade e mudança [Families in the 2011 Census: Diversity and change].
Family size is now significantly lower than it was 50 years ago. Although, living as a couple remains the main form of family organization, its statistical weight has decreased, in particular regarding couples with children. On the other hand, other forms have gained relevance namely couples without children, lone-parents and people living alone. At the same time the changing trends regarding life as a couple became more evident with the increase of partnerships, of births outside the marriage and of recomposed families. The fertility rate has reached warning levels and average life expectancy has increased. These transformations have led to a progressive and persistent change towards new ways of living as a family.