In 2025
Mental well-being and life satisfaction showed positive values in the Region
The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) is today releasing two new indicators for the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ARM) on the mental health of the resident population aged 15 or over. These indicators were obtained from the National Health Survey 2025 (INS 2025) and complement the results previously released.
Higher mental well-being index among men
The Mental Well-being Index is a measure of subjective well-being, reflecting each individual’s perception of their state of well-being over the two weeks preceding the interview. This indicator incorporates five aspects related to positive mood, calmness, vitality and energy, feeling rested, and interest in and engagement with daily life.
In 2025, the Region recorded a mental well-being index of 74 for the resident population aged 15 or over, higher than the national figure of 71. The analysis by sex shows higher levels of mental well-being among men than among women, with the index reaching 77 and 70, respectively.
Considering the distribution of the population by age group, the results indicate that the mental well-being index in the ARM showed a downward trend. The highest levels were observed in the population aged 15 to 24 (82) and 25 to 34 (77). Conversely, the lowest values were recorded in the 85 and over (58) and 75 to 84 (67) age groups. This trend was similar among men and women. However, among men, the index for the 45 to 54 age group (76) was lower than those for the 35 to 44 (79) and 55 to 64 (78) age groups. Among women, a similar situation stood out, with the index for the 35 to 44 age group being lower than those for the 25 to 34 (74) and 45 to 54 (73) age groups.
Higher life satisfaction among young persons
As part of the INS 2025, information from a life satisfaction rating scale was also collected for the population aged 15 or over. In 2025, the majority of the resident population in the Region reported positive levels of satisfaction. Around three in five persons aged 15 or over (60.9%) said they were satisfied (37.0%) or very satisfied (23.9%) with life, while 17.9% reported being fairly satisfied. Conversely, the remainder showed some degree of dissatisfaction with life, with 7.2% reporting being slightly dissatisfied and 3.8% dissatisfied. At the national level, using the same categories, a lower level of satisfaction is observed, with 57.2% of the population reporting being satisfied or very satisfied and 14.3% slightly dissatisfied or dissatisfied with life.
The analysis by sex reveals higher levels of life satisfaction among the male population. Among men, 64.5% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with life, while among women this proportion stood at 57.7%.
By age group, the data show that young persons reported higher levels of life satisfaction. In the 15 to 24 age group, 77.9% of persons said they were satisfied or very satisfied with life. This proportion decreased to 60.0% among those aged 25 to 64 and to 54.5% among those aged 65 or over.
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