Excess mortality in the EU decreased to 6.6% in May 2022 from 10.7% in April, which was the highest value registered so far in 2022. The previous peak was recorded in November 2021 (+26%), during the fourth wave of excess mortality.
This information comes from data on excess mortality published by Eurostat today, based on a weekly deaths data collection. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained articles on excess mortality and weekly deaths.
Excess mortality continued to vary across the EU Member States. The highest rates in May 2022, more than double the EU average, were recorded in Portugal (+19%), Greece (+17%) and Ireland (+13%). Meanwhile, five Member States registered values lower than the national monthly average for 2016-2019: Bulgaria and Lithuania (both -2%), Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia (all -1%).
The EU registered earlier peaks in excess deaths in April 2020 (+25%), November 2020 (+40%), April 2021 (+21%) and November 2021 (+26%).
Source dataset: demo_mexrt
How did the situation evolve in your country?
Although excess mortality was observed during most of the past two years across Europe, the peaks and intensity of outbreaks varied greatly between countries. For further analysis, you can read the Statistics Explained article on excess mortality and use the interactive tool by selecting the country you would like to analyse.
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on excess mortality
- Statistics Explained article on weekly deaths
- Dedicated page on population & demography
Methodological notes:
- Excess mortality refers to the number of deaths from all causes measured during a crisis, above what could be observed in ‘normal’ conditions. The excess mortality indicator draws attention to the magnitude of the health crisis by providing a comprehensive comparison of additional deaths amongst European countries and allows for further analysis of the causes.
- Please note that while a substantial increase in excess mortality largely coincides with the COVID-19 outbreak, this indicator does not discriminate among the causes of death and does not identify differences between sex or age.
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