Portugal’s Statistics Institute (INE) has revealed that the Algarve has the lowest rate of chronic illness in Portugal, making it the only region in the country below the 40% mark.
According to the latest “Health Statistics” report, released ahead of World Health Day, 44.1% of people aged 16 and over in Portugal reported having a chronic disease or long-term health problem in 2025 – an increase of 1.8 percentage points compared to the previous year. The rise was more noticeable among men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 65 and over.
Data shows that chronic illness is more common among women, affecting 47.6%, compared to 40.2% of men. Age is also a key factor, with 69.7% of people aged 65 and over reporting chronic conditions, compared to 33.9% of those under that age.
Retired people are the most affected group, with a prevalence of 70.3%, followed by the unemployed at 43.3% and those with a job at 32.5%.
At a regional level, Madeira recorded the highest rate at 47.5%, while the Algarve had the lowest at 38.5%.
Education levels also play a significant role. The proportion of people reporting chronic illness is much lower among those who completed secondary education (31.5%) or higher education (32.5%), compared to 54.5% among those with only basic education and 78.5% among those with no formal qualifications.
When it comes to daily life limitations, 23.8% of the population reported some level of restriction, including 4.8% with severe limitations. Women (27.2%) and older people (47.5%) are again the most affected.
Severe limitations are far more common among older adults, affecting 11.4% of those aged over 65, compared to just 2.1% among younger people.
The data also show a clear link with education, with only 11.2% of people with higher education and 13.1% of those with secondary education reporting limitations, compared to 33.2% among those with basic education and 63.3% among those without schooling.
Among workers, 11.5% reported limitations, compared to 23.9% of unemployed people, 27.2% of inactive non-retired individuals and 47.9% of retirees.
In a European context, Portugal had the third highest proportion of people with chronic illness in the EU in 2024 and was one of seven member states with rates above 40%.
Life expectancy at birth in Portugal was estimated at 82.5 years in 2023, with women living on average 85.3 years and men 79.5.
“Considering information on limitations due to health problems, the estimated healthy life years at birth was 59.6 years for the total population, and lower for women (58.3 years) than for men (61 years),” INE said.
