The natural balance in the Azores continues to fall.
According to the latest INE figures, consulted by our newspaper, 155 babies were born in the region in August, and 217 deaths were recorded during the same period, a negative natural balance of 62 residents.
There were 75 male babies and 80 female babies.
In terms of deaths, there were 105 males and 112 females.
The trend is similar at the national level. In August, 7,431 live births were recorded, 3.9% more than in July 2024 (7,149) and 1.7% more than in August 2023 (7,305).
The natural balance was -1,746 in that month, down from -2,242 in the same month in 2023.
In September 2024, 8,506 deaths occurred, representing 723 fewer (-7.8%) than in the previous month.
There was a decrease of 346 deaths (-3.9%) compared to the same month in 2023. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 fell to 71 (62 less than in August 2024), representing 0.8% of all deaths.
The number of deaths recorded in the first nine months of the year (89,018) was higher than in 2023 (1,134 more deaths; +1.3%).
The “excess mortality” indicator, calculated by Eurostat, compares the monthly deaths recorded in the European Union (EU-27) and EFTA countries with the average number of deaths over 2016-2019. In August 2024, the EU-27 recorded excess mortality.
Of the 27 member states, 23 had excess mortality.
In that month, Portugal recorded 7.6% more deaths than the average number of deaths observed in August in the four years before the COVID-19 pandemic, 2016-2019.

In Diário dos Açores – Osvaldo Cabral, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.