In 2023, there were 85,699 live births to mothers residing in Portugal, representing an increase of 2.4% (2,028 more children) compared to the previous year. Of the total live births, 59.5% were born outside of marriage, meaning they were the children of unmarried parents.
In the same year, there were 118,295 deaths of people residing in national territory, corresponding to a decrease of 4.8% (6,016 fewer deaths) compared to 2022, and there were 210 deaths of children under 1 year old (7 less than in 2022), which is reflected in a decrease of the infant mortality rate, from 2.6 in 2022 to 2.5 deaths per thousand live births in 2023.
The increase in the number of live births and the decrease in the number of deaths determined an improvement of the natural balance from -40,640 in 2022 to -32,596 in 2023. This improvement was recorded in all NUTS 2 regions, with the Grande Lisboa region reaching a positive natural balance of +461.
In 2023, 36,980 marriages were celebrated in Portugal (0.1% more than in 2022). In 71.2% of marriages, the spouses already cohabited before marriage.