15-06-2022 - In 2021, the resident population of the Autonomous Region of Madeira decreased slightly

In 2021

Resident population of the Autonomous Region of Madeira decreased slightly

The information released today constitutes an ad hoc exercise for estimating the population residing in Portugal, for December 31, 2020 and 2021, based on the provisional results of the 2021 Census, which are of a preliminary nature until the final results of the 2021 Census are available.

These estimates will be revised based on the results of the 2021 Census and will initiate the new Provisional Resident Population Estimates series.

Attention is drawn to the non-comparability of the results of these ad hoc estimates with the current Provisional Resident Population Estimates series, 2011-2020, as well with the demographic indicators that derive from them.

On December 31^st, 2021, 251,182 persons were residing in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, which represents a 0.3‰ decline when compared to the equivalent date of 2020 (251,252 persons). Of that total, 117,829 were men and 133,353 were women (117,945 men and 133,307 women in 2020).

In 2021, the Region recorded a population decrease, -70 people compared to 2020, corresponding to a negative crude rate of increase of ‑0.3‰.

The positive net migration of 2021 (1,061) was not enough to increase the Region’s population since the natural decrease (-1,131) overlapped the positive migration balance.

The municipalities of Santa Cruz (9.8‰), Porto Santo (3.3‰), and Ponta do Sol (2.0‰) were the only in which the crude rate of population change was positive. The lowest values were registered in the municipalities of Santana (-8.7‰) and São Vicente (-6.6‰).

In 2021, the population density of the Autonomous Region of Madeira stood at 313.5 inhabitants per km². Funchal had the highest value (1,388.4 pop/km²) and Porto Moniz the lowest (30.3 pop/km²).

In the reference year, the proportion of youth population (15 years old and under) represented 12.5% of the total population (12.9% in 2020), while the proportion of the population aged 65 and over rose to 20.2% (19.8% in 2020). Therefore, the ageing ratio reached 161.3, i.e., 161.3 older persons (65 and over) per 100 young persons (154.0 in 2020).

The total fertility rate (average number of children per woman aged between 15 and 49) reached 1.23 in 2021, remaining very much below the threshold of the replacement level of fertility (2.1 children per woman).