Portugal 2016

11 ENQUADRAMENTO POPULACIONAL POPULATION FRAMEWORK The share of the elderly population continued to follow an upward trend. As of 1990 the share of persons aged 65 and over per 100 residents aged less than 15 (ageing index) has shown a recurrent growth trend, from 72.1 in 1991 to 150.9 in 2016. The degree of ageing is also measured by the ratio of the population aged 65 and over to the potentially active population, aged 15-65 (old-age dependency ratio): in 2016 for every 100 potentially active persons there were around 33 aged 65 and over (the ratio was 100 to 24 in 2000 and 100 to 21 in 1990). The ageing of population is linked to an increase in longevity and a decline in the fertility rate. As regards the former, the usual measure takes into account the share of the older population relative to the elderly population as a whole. The ratio of the population aged 75 and over to the population aged at least 65 (old-age ratio) increased continuously between 1995 and 2014, apparently stabilising at around 49 per 100. Life expectancy at the age of 65 also increased, from 15.6 and 16.6 years in 1990 and 2000 respectively to 19.3 years in 2016. The fertility rate (ratio of live births to the number of women aged 15-49, per thousand) declined, although the trend is less regular than the previous indicators. In 1995 a trough of 43.8‰ was recorded, subsequently countered by developments up to 2000. However, since then a new trough was recorded in 2013, of around 33.9‰, with a recovery in the three following years, such that in 2016 the indicator stood at 37.1‰.