The first 10 months of 2021 saw Portugal’s dwindling birth rates take an even steeper dive. Roughly 65,000 children were born – the lowest number since records began, according to ‘footprick test’ data gathered by INSA, the public health institute. The ‘footprick’ test is routinely performed in babies between three and six days old to check for congenital abnormalities. 2021’s new babies were born in the main in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon (19,496) and Porto (12,182). Setúbal was the district with the third highest count, while Guarda (519), Portalegre (490) and Bragança (421) saw the lowest numbers. Last year’s birthrate for the equivalent period saw almost 7,000 more babies born in Portugal.
