The decline is due to another fall in the birth rate and the increasing number of Portuguese emigrating, according to the Estimates of Resident Population in Portugal report released today by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
In 2013 the resident population in Portugal was estimated at 10,427,301 people (4,958,020 men and 5,469,281 women) - a decrease in the resident population of 59,988 inhabitants since 2012.
These numbers reflect a negative growth rate of 0.57%, continuing the trend of population decline that has been recorded with increasing alarm since 2010.
The INE explains that the population decline in 2013 was due to a negative natural balance of least 23,756 people (17,757 people in 2012) and also negative migration balance as 36,232 left (37,352 people in 2012).
An immigrant is considered permanent when he or she remains in Portugal for a year or more and a permanent emigrant is someone who has left the country with the intent of staying away for a year or more.
For the third consecutive year net migration has remained negative and a 1% fall in the death rate continues the demographic shift from active taxpayers to pension recipients as the young leave and the old stay on.
Longer life expectancy for those born now in God's own land has been increasing steadily. For women this now is 82.79 years and for men it is 76.91.
The current aging index rose in the ten years to 2013 from 106 to 136 seniors for every 100 young people. For those penisoners reliant on their government pension the situation looks bleak with temporary austerity pension cuts gaining an air of permanance, alonside ever-increasing costs of water and electricity.
