Almost a third of employed women in Portugal, 32.8%, took at least one day off work in the past year because of health problems, according to the National Health Survey 2025, carried out by Portugal's National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatística, INE). Among working men, the rate was lower, at 27.2%.
The findings, released on Tuesday, form part of a wide-ranging survey covering how often people in Portugal undergo medical screenings, which contraceptive methods they use, how often they see a family doctor and how they take medication.
The National Health Survey is carried out periodically by INE to gather data on the health status, lifestyle habits and use of healthcare services of the Portuguese population, and is one of the main tools used to track public health trends in the country.
Screening and checkup rates
The survey found that 51.4% of people aged 50 or older said they had had a colonoscopy in the previous ten years. In the 12 months before being interviewed, 73.9% had had their blood pressure measured, 64.9% had had their glucose levels checked and 65.8% had had their cholesterol measured.
Among women, 79.7% of those aged between 50 and 69 said they had had a mammogram in the previous two years. Among women aged 20 to 69, 65.7% said they had had a cervical cytology test, commonly known as a smear test, in the previous three years.
Contraception and doctor visits
The contraceptive pill remains the most widely used birth control method in Portugal, cited by 61.5% of women aged between 15 and 55, according to the INE data. It was followed by the intrauterine device (IUD) and other methods, each used by 13% of women, and the male condom, used by 11.8%.
The survey also found that more than 80% of people aged 65 or older who had no formal schooling and were retired said they had seen a family doctor at least once in the previous 12 months.
On medication use, a third of people aged 15 or older said they had taken medicine that had not been prescribed to them in the two weeks before the interview.
