This Thursday is the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, which is a good reason to show the differences between Portugal in 1974 and today, providing clues about the challenges that persist.
According to Pordata, the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation’s statistical database, there are several changes that have occurred that are important to highlight, especially with regard to demography, the profile of the population in general and families in particular, the modernization of the country in terms of transport, access to health and education, achievements in the world of work and social protection, or the living conditions of the Portuguese.
Let’s go in parts:
Demographics
The country has aged and become more cosmopolitan
Between 1974 and 2022, the population in Portugal grew from 8.8 million to 10.4 million and the demographic profile changed: there are fewer children and young people under the age of 15 (-45%) and the number of people almost tripled aged 65 or over (+190%).
In five decades, Portugal was the European Union country where the senior population increased the most and the 3rd country that lost the most children and young people. It was also the EU country that most reversed the position of its aging index: from 1st country with fewer elderly people by young people to 2nd with more elderly people per young people. Furthermore: today we have fewer children and we live longer. Currently, a 65-year-old can expect to live an average of 20 more years, seven more than five decades ago.
The composition of the population also changed and Portuguese society became more cosmopolitan. In 1974, the number of foreigners living in the country was reduced and today the foreign community represents 7.5% of residents. Of particular note, with greater numerical importance, are Brazilian citizens (240 thousand) and the United Kingdom (45 thousand).
Families have changed: there are more divorces and civil unions
Democracy brought changes to the family. In 1975, divorces between Catholic marriages became permitted. In almost 50 years, divorces have increased 24 times and marriages have fallen by half. With the secularization of society, Catholic marriages are losing importance: in 1974, 8 out of every 10 marriages were celebrated by the Catholic Church and today they are less than 3 out of every 10. On the other hand, de facto unions are on the rise. According to the 2021 Census, more than one million people were in a civil union that year (11% compared to 4% in 2001). And, in 2010, the first same-sex marriages were registered.
This secularization of society has brought more data: today, 6 out of 10 babies are born out of wedlock. 50 years ago, these babies represented 7% of births, despite the more than 15 thousand babies born, on average, every year, to unmarried fathers and mothers.
Today, a family is made up, on average, of 2.5 people and, in 1970, it was made up of 3.7 people. The proportion of large families, with 5 or more members, fell by 22 percentage points and the proportion of people living alone increased (by 15 percentage points).
The average age of first marriage has advanced by around 10 years, women have their first child, on average, seven years later. In these five decades, births fell by half (172 thousand to 84 thousand) and Portugal went from the 4th EU country with the highest gross birth rate to the 5th with the lowest gross birth rate, after countries like Italy or Spain.
Access to healthcare has become widespread
The Portuguese gained greater access to healthcare, which allowed for greater longevity and quality of life. One of the areas where these transformations had the greatest impact was on the survival of babies. The evolution of maternal and child care and the evolution of socio-economic conditions explain the unprecedented decline in infant mortality.
In 1974, Portugal was the country in the European Union where the most children died under the age of one: 38 for every 1,000 births (the EU average was 21). In 2022, Portugal occupied the top ten of countries with the lowest infant mortality rate (2.6‰, with the European average being 3.3‰). It is worth remembering that, in 1970, only 38% of births took place in health establishments. Five years later, this figure was already 61% and, currently, practically all children are born in hospitals.
These transformations in the health system are also associated with the modernization of services and the growth in the number of health professionals. In five decades, the number of doctors increased almost 5 times, and the number of nurses almost 4 times. In 2021, 564 doctors and 771 nurses were registered with the respective professional associations for every 100 thousand inhabitants. However, the 2021 Census records a lower number of doctors and nurses who responded that they were actually working in the Health sector in Portugal.
Education has become democratized: five decades ago, one in four Portuguese people was illiterate
One of the greatest achievements of the 25th of April was the democratization of access to education. In 1970, one in four (25.7%) was illiterate, corresponding to 1.8 million people (64% of whom were women). The illiteracy rate dropped to 3.1% in 2021, reaching 293 thousand people.
Roughly speaking, until the 1970s, children did not attend more than 4 years of primary education, the current 1st cycle, but with the increase in compulsory schooling, access to education became widespread, as demonstrated by the real schooling rate. Currently, with the exception of secondary education, more than 90% of children attend different education cycles.
Access to higher education has also become a reality: in 2023, there are five times more students than in 1978 (446 thousand vs. 82 thousand), and there are more women than men. According to the Census