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Data extracted in April 2025

Planned article update: May 2026

Highlights

In 2022, the highest number of deaths in the EU (based on available data) was reported in January and the lowest in September.

In 2022, among the 23 EU countries for which data are available, the highest monthly standardised death rate was recorded in December in 11 countries, in January in 9, in March in 2 and in February in 1.

There were more than 100 000 deaths from diseases of the circulatory system in each of January, March and December 2022 across the 23 EU countries for which data are available. The lowest monthly number was 78 700 in September 2022.

This article presents data on monthly causes of death in the European Union (EU). Eurostat began collecting monthly data on causes of death for reference year 2019; the latest data available are for reference year 2022.

These data describe cause-specific mortality rates and trends. The purpose of this new voluntary data collection is to inform policymakers and the public on changing epidemiological circumstances. Most causes of death vary significantly by age and by sex, and some also vary by month or season. This article gives an overview of the monthly number of deaths and standardised death rates for EU countries, with analyses by country of residence and age of the deceased. The use of standardised death rates facilitates comparisons both over time and between countries, independent of different population age-structures.

Please note that data are only available for a maximum of 23 EU countries. The ’EU total‘ is an aggregate covering these 23 countries for 2022 (with no data available for Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden). For time series covering the period 2019 to 2022, the ‘EU total’ is based on a stable aggregate covering 21 EU countries (with data also not available for Latvia and Portugal). Data are also shown for 2 EFTA countries (Iceland and Norway) and for 2 candidate countries (Serbia and Türkiye).


Monthly deaths during the period 2019 to 2022

Across the 21 EU countries for which a time series of monthly mortality data from 2019 to 2022 are available, there were 3.22 million deaths in 2022 [1].

The novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) virus was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and characterised it as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Mortality codes for COVID-19 were established in April 2020.

Based on the 21 EU countries for which a time series of mortality data are available, the total number of deaths in 2022 was lower than in either 2020 or 2021, when the number of deaths resulting from COVID-19 had surged (especially during the initial stages of the pandemic and winter months). Nevertheless, the total number of deaths in 2022 remained approximately 300 000 higher than pre-pandemic levels, as there were 2.92 million deaths in 2019.

In 2022, the highest number of monthly deaths was reported in January: 322 300 deaths across the 21 EU countries for which a time series of mortality data are available. The lowest number was recorded in September, at 232 200 deaths. This repeated the pattern observed pre-pandemic, as in 2019 the highest number of deaths had also been recorded in January (297 100) and the lowest number in September (215 100).

During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic a different pattern was observed

  • in 2020, the highest number of deaths was reported in November and the lowest number was reported in June
  • in 2021, the highest number of deaths was reported in January and the lowest number was also reported in June.
Figure 1: Number of deaths, EU, 2019–22 (thousands)


Leading causes of death in 2022

Diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death in 2022

Across the 23 EU countries for which data are available, diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death in every month of 2022. There were 3 months when there were in excess of 100 000 deaths from diseases of the circulatory system: January (108 200 deaths), March (100 100 deaths) and December (106 300 deaths). By contrast, the lowest number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system was recorded in September, at 78 700.

In 2022, cancer accounted for the 2nd highest number of deaths in the EU (across the 23 countries for which data are available). Contrary to most other causes of death, there is no discernible seasonal pattern to the number of deaths from cancer; they are relatively evenly distributed throughout the year. The highest number of deaths from cancer was reported in December (67 200), while the lowest number was in the shortest month of the year, February (57 200).

At the start of 2022, COVID-19 accounted for the 3rd highest number of deaths (across the 23 EU countries for which data are available), with a peak of 43 000 deaths in January. The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 fell at a rapid pace during the year, reaching a low of 6 300 deaths in September. Contrary to the patterns observed in 2020 and 2021, there was only a modest upturn in the number of COVID-19 deaths towards the end of 2022, reflecting – among other factors – widespread immunity (from vaccines and previous infection), better treatment and healthcare readiness, and less severe variants (Omicron).

From the April 2022 through to the end of the year, respiratory diseases (other than COVID-19) accounted for the 3rd highest number of deaths (in the 23 EU countries for which data are available). The highest number of monthly deaths from respiratory diseases was reported in December (31 200); this was approximately twice as high as the number in September (15 900), when the lowest count was recorded.

During 2022, there were only minor seasonal fluctuations in the number of deaths from external causes; these deaths are typically accidental, violent or intentional events (for example, transport accidents, assault (homicide) or intentional self-harm (suicide)). Across the 23 EU countries for which data are available, the number of deaths from external causes ranged from a peak of 14 400 in July down to a low of 11 800 in February.

Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings include cases when a definitive diagnosis hasn’t been established or when a condition is described by its symptoms (such as fever, fatigue or pain) or abnormal findings. The number of deaths from symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings peaked during the winter months of 2022: across the 23 EU countries for which data are available, there were highs in December (17 200 deaths) and January (15 300 deaths), while the lowest number of deaths was in June (11 200 deaths).

Figure 2: Number of deaths from major causes of death, EU, 2022 (thousands)


Diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death in all months; they accounted for close to a third of all deaths in the EU every month

The information presented in Figure 3 is similar to that in Figure 2. However, it shows the share of total deaths accounted for by the 4 principal causes of death, along with a residual category for all other causes. This information is presented for an aggregate based on data for 23 EU countries.

During all months of 2022, diseases of the circulatory system accounted for the highest share of deaths in the EU of any major cause. A peak share of 33.6% was recorded in March 2022 while the lowest share was 31.3% in July 2022.

The share of all deaths in the EU attributed to cancer was relatively low during the winter months and relatively high during the summer months. This reflected a relatively uniform number of cancer deaths throughout the year (as shown in Figure 2) combined with greater seasonal variation in mortality rates for most of the other principal causes of death. Cancer accounted for around a quarter of all deaths in the EU in June and September 2022, whereas it accounted for less than a fifth of the total in January and February 2022.

Respiratory diseases represented the 3rd leading cause of death in the EU in 2022. Their relative importance grew towards the end of the year. In December 2022, respiratory diseases accounted for 9.7% of all deaths in the EU.

There was a rapid decline in the number of COVID-19 deaths over the course of 2022 and this is reflected in the share of all deaths. In February 2022, the share attributed to COVID-19 peaked (within 2022) at 13.6% across the 23 EU countries for which data are available. This was followed by a marked reduction in March 2022, with the share falling to 7.8%. The share of COVID-19 deaths continued to fall during the summer months and reached a low of 2.6% in September 2022. Compared with the 2 previous years, relatively modest increases were observed through to the end of the year.

Figure 3: Share of major causes of mortality, EU, 2022 (% of all deaths)


Comparing respiratory diseases and COVID-19

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 was 2.1 times as high as the number of deaths from respiratory diseases in February 2022 …

Figure 4 shows the total number of deaths across 23 EU countries for which data are available for a range of respiratory diseases – including pneumonia, influenza and asthma – as well as for COVID-19. In January 2022, there were 43 000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, compared with 23 400 deaths from respiratory diseases. The relative gap widened in February 2022, when the number of deaths from COVID-19 was 2.1 times as high as the number of deaths from respiratory diseases. In March 2022, there was a rapid fall in the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 (down 42.4% compared with February 2022). Deaths from COVID-19 remained at a much lower level thereafter and a low of 6 300 deaths was recorded in September 2022.

… whereas by September 2022, the total number of deaths from respiratory diseases was 2.5 times as high as the number of deaths from COVID-19

Despite monthly increases in March and July, the number of deaths from respiratory diseases (across the 23 EU countries for which data are available) fell from a relative high of 23 400 in January 2022 to a low of 15 900 deaths by September 2022. Thereafter, the number of deaths from respiratory diseases almost doubled before the end of the year, reaching 31 200 in December 2022.

  • The highest numbers of deaths from pneumonia (across the 23 EU countries for which data are available) were recorded at either end of the calendar year, with peaks of 7 400 and 9 500 deaths in January and December 2022, respectively.
  • There were relatively few deaths from influenza at the start of 2022, with a peak recorded at the end of the year (2 300 deaths in December 2022).
  • The highest number of monthly deaths for asthma was also recorded at the end of the year, with 500 deaths in December 2022.
  • There was a similar pattern to developments for the 2 residual aggregates covering other lower respiratory diseases (other than asthma and status asthmaticus) and other respiratory diseases (other than influenza, pneumonia and other lower respiratory diseases); they both recorded a peak in deaths in January and December, with their lowest number of deaths in September 2022.
Figure 4: Number of deaths from respiratory diseases and COVID-19, EU, 2022 (thousands)



Deaths from heart attacks, dementia, intentional self-harm and transport accidents

In each of January, March and December 2022, there were more than 10 thousand deaths from heart attacks

For most causes of death, there is a seasonal component with the number of deaths varying from month to month. Figure 5 shows the total number of deaths each month for 4 leading causes of death: heart attacks (classified as acute myocardial infarction including subsequent myocardial infarction (ICD-10 codes I21 and I22)), dementia (ICD10 F01 to F03), intentional self-harm (ICD10 codes X60 to X84 and Y870) and transport accidents (ICD10 codes V01 to V99 and Y85).

Across the 23 EU countries for which data are available

  • heart attacks were the most frequent of these 4 causes of death, with more than 10 000 deaths in each of January, March and December 2022. By contrast, the lowest number of deaths from heart attacks was recorded in September (7 900).
  • the number of deaths from dementia ranged from a low of 7 400 in September up to a peak of just under 10 000 in December 2022
  • although the number of deaths from heart attacks was generally higher than the number of deaths from dementia, there were slightly more deaths from dementia in July and August 2022
  • contrary to the seasonal patterns observed for most of the principal causes of death (with the highest number of deaths during the winter months)
    • for intentional self-harm, the highest number of deaths was recorded in May 2022 (the only month that the number reached 3 000 deaths), while the lowest number of deaths was reported in December 2022, at 2 300 deaths
    • for transport accidents, a peak of 1 700 deaths was observed in July, while the lowest number of deaths was in February 2022, at just over 1 000.
Figure 5: Number of deaths from dementia, heart attacks, intentional self-harm and transport accidents, EU, 2022 (thousands)


Source data for tables and graphs

Data sources

Statistics on the underlying causes of death provide information on mortality patterns. This source is documented in more detail in a background article on the methodology of causes of death statistics. This provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.

Legal basis for the data collection

Since the 2011 reference year, reporting countries have submitted data to Eurostat based on the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, and Regulation (EU) No 328/2011 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, as regards statistics on causes of death.

There are currently 33 countries submitting data on causes of death to Eurostat

  • all 27 EU countries
  • 4 EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland)
  • 2 candidate countries (Serbia and Türkiye).

Following a consultation on the potential use of public health data collections for tracing COVID-19 developments, in 2021 Eurostat invited countries to provide causes of death statistics according to the month of death (starting with reference years 2019 and 2020). Initially, there were 21 EU countries that provided monthly data (Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden were unable to do so); as of reference year 2022, Latvia and Portugal started to provide these monthly statistics.

Classification of the causes of death

Statistics on the causes of death are based on medical information provided in death certificates. Causes of death are classified by the 86 causes in the European shortlist which is based on the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, the WHO introduced emergency codes in the ICD version 10 (ICD-10) that countries could use to report deaths from COVID-19. In Eurostat’s dissemination database, the codes are available as follows

  • U071 – COVID-19, virus identified (deaths where COVID-19 has been confirmed by laboratory testing)
  • U072 – COVID-19, virus not identified (COVID-19 virus not identified)
  • U_COV19_OTH – COVID-19 other (COVID-19 death not elsewhere defined).

The data for COVID-19 reported in this article were calculated by adding the data for these 3 codes. However, the data disseminated in Eurostat’s dissemination database are for each separate code. More information about ICD-10 codes can be found on the WHO’s website.

Standardised death rate

The number of deaths from a particular cause of death can be expressed relative to the size of the population. A standardised death rate is adjusted to a standard age distribution. This facilitates comparisons of rates over time and between countries. The population used for the standardisation of crude rates is based on the European Standard Population, in use since summer 2013.

Context

Statistics on causes of death are among the oldest medical statistics available. They provide information on developments over time and differences between countries in causes of death. These statistics play a key role in the general information system relating to the state of health in the EU. They may be used to determine which preventive and medical-curative measures or which investments in research might increase the life expectancy of the population.

Data on causes of death are often used as a tool for evaluating health systems in the EU and policy makers may use them for evidence-based health policy. The EU promotes a comprehensive approach to tackling major and chronic diseases, including a cancer plan for Europe, through integrated action on risk factors across sectors and combined with efforts to strengthen health systems towards improved prevention and control.

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to prioritise public health and strengthen healthcare systems across the EU and globally. In response to the pandemic, the European Commission took a series of actions to contain the spread of the coronavirus, support national health systems and counter the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, both across the EU and nationally. This included

Mental health

The European Commission President announced her intention to present a new initiative on mental health in her State of the Union speech in 2022. In June 2023, after extensive consultation with countries, stakeholders and citizens, the Commission adopted a 2023 Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health (COM(2023) 298 final).

This new approach recognises that mental health is about more than just health and, therefore, strongly involves areas such as education, digitalisation, employment, research, urban development, environment and the climate.

In case you or somebody you know is struggling with mental health issues, you can find information about helplines and other services on the following Mental Health Europe page.

Notes

  1. ↑ European statistics in the domain of ‘causes of death’ cover all registered deaths and stillbirths occurring in each country, based on death certificates. Not all deaths are accompanied by a death certificate, therefore there may be differences compared with the total number of deaths reported under other data collections. In this article, ‘total deaths’ refers to all registered deaths from age 0 days.

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