Birth
The Portuguese archipelago has had a low fertility rate and a declining birth rate since the 2000s, despite a 5.5 per cent increase in the number of births in 2017 compared to the previous year. In addition, almost 54 per cent of these births were registered outside marriage (29.9 per cent with cohabiting parents and 24.4 per cent without cohabitation). As in other European countries, the average age at first childbirth is now 30 years. Women are also having fewer children (the average number of children per woman in Madeira is lower than the national average), which is in line with the decrease in the Portuguese population in recent decades
Wedding
On the union side, the average age of first marriage ranges from 31.3 years (for women) to 33.4 years (for men). In 2017, 962 marriages were celebrated in the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the crude marriage rate was 3.8 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants. Of these unions, 311 were celebrated according to the Catholic rite (compared to 627 civil marriages), representing 33 per cent of the marriages celebrated in the archipelago
Family
The notion of family remains here, and perhaps more so than elsewhere, very important. It has its drawbacks, it may be a straitjacket for some, but it connects the generations. However, mentalities are changing. In 2011, the date of the last census, single parent households represented 19.7% of all households in Madeira, a level 14.9% higher than the national level. Reconstituted families represent 6.2% of all couples with children. Also, again according to statistics, the average number of persons per family is tending to decrease (2.85 persons per family).
Schooling
It has made great progress over the last 20 years. But Madeira remains one of the least educated regions in the country, just after the Azores archipelago, which has an enrolment rate of 17.4%. The Autonomous Region of Madeira remains one of the least qualified regions in Portugal (almost 40% of the population has a basic level of schooling), with a drop-out rate which is also higher than the national average. In 2016, 23.2% of 18-24 year olds had left school without completing secondary education. But let us look back at the progress made in recent years: in 1998, 24.8 per cent of the population aged 15 and over had no schooling at all. By 2018, that number had dropped dramatically to 7.4 per cent. Youth enrolment for secondary and post-secondary education has also increased from 8.9 per cent to 20.2 per cent and from 2.6 per cent to 15.9 per cent for higher education.
