In 2021, there were 79,582 live births of mothers residing in Portugal. This figure represents a decrease of 5.9% (4,948 fewer children) compared to the previous year. Of the total live births, 60.0% were born outside marriage, meaning they were the children of unmarried parents.
There were 124,802 deaths of people residing in the national territory, an increase of 1.2% (1,444) compared to 2020.
The increase in the number of deaths and the decrease in the number of live births again determined a strong reduction of the natural balance from -38,828 in 2020 to -45,220 in 2021.
In 2021, there were 191 deaths of children under 1 year of age (14 fewer than in 2020), and the infant mortality rate remained at 2.4 deaths per thousand live births.
After a strong decrease in the number of marriages in 2020 (18,902; 43.2% less than in 2019), the number of marriages celebrated in 2021 increased to 29,057 (53.7% more). In about two thirds of marriages (66.2%), the spouses already cohabited before marriage.