Between March 2nd, when the first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in Portugal, and October 4th, there were 68,227 deaths in the national territory, an increase of 7,474 deaths in 2020 when compared to the average number of deaths during the same period over the past five years. 2,018 of these deaths, a little over ¼ of the total, were due to COVID-19. In the last 4 weeks (September 7th to October 4th) there were 867 more deaths then the average from the same period between 2015-2019. In that period there were 175 registered deaths from COVID-19.
Of the total deaths recorded between March 2nd and October 4th, 33,664 were of men and 34,563 were of women, an increase of 3,115 and 4,360 deaths, respectively, compared to the average of deaths observed in the same period between 2015-2019.
More than 70% of deaths were of people aged 75 years or over. Compared to the average number of deaths observed in the same 2015-2019 period, another 6,488 people aged 75 and over died, of which 5,095 were aged 85 and over.
The largest increase in the number of deaths in relation to the 2015-2019 average was registered in the Norte region, with the exception of the last week of June and the first of July, when this increase was higher in the Área Metropolitana de Lisboa region. In the last three weeks the Área Metropolitana de Lisboa was the region with the highest contribution to the overall number of deaths.
Of the total deaths recorded between March 2nd and October 4th 2020, 40,644 occurred in a hospital and 27,583 outside a hospital, corresponding to an increase of 2,265 deaths and 5,209 deaths, respectively, when compared to the average number of deaths in the same 2015-2019 period.

Despite the circumstances determined by the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Portugal asks for the best collaboration from companies, families and public entities in responding to Statistics Portugal’s requests. The quality of official statistics, particularly its ability to identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, depends crucially on this collaboration that Statistics Portugal thanks in advance.