Back Excess mortality starting to fall back in 2021, after a large death toll

16 April 2021

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After having reached two significant peaks in spring and autumn 2020, excess mortality started to fall back in the first two months of 2021 in the EU: 16% in January and 5% in February compared with the averages of the same period in 2016 – 2019.

This information comes from data on excess mortality published by Eurostat today, based on a weekly deaths data collection. The article presents only a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article.

 

2020: A year in the spotlight

During the early rise of COVID-19, the excess mortality in the EU reached its first peak in April 2020, with an increase of 25% compared with the average of the same month over 2016 - 2019. 

Between May and July, a lower level of excess mortality was registered, while yet another surge in mortality started in August – September with the second wave of the pandemic.

The excess mortality in the EU was 18% in October and 41% in November, followed by 30% in December.

 

Excess mortality in 2020 and 2021, compared with the same period in 2016 – 2019

Source data: demo_mexrt

 

How did the situation evolve in your country?

Although excess mortality was observed during most of the year across Europe, the peaks and intensity of outbreaks varied greatly across countries. For further analysis, you can read the Statistics Explained article on excess mortality and use the new interactive tool by selecting the country you would like to analyse:

 

   

For more information:

  • 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 the European countries and allows for further analysis of its 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 catch differences across sex or age classes.

 

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