Excess mortality remained high in 2022 due to Covid-19 and flu

Last year, more people died than expected in every age group in the Netherlands. The leading causes were the flu and the coronavirus. The excess mortality was slightly lower than in 2020 and 2021 when Covid-19 caused many thousands of deaths, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. More people died in 2022 than before the coronavirus pandemic, even compared to 2015 and 2018, when there were severe flu waves.

From end-March 2022, more people died than expected in almost every month of the year. The flu epidemic started in March and lasted for at least 13 weeks. A new flu wave hit the Netherlands in mid-December. In addition, almost 6,500 people died from Covid-19 until October. The coronavirus deaths for October to December are not yet known.

Excess mortality means that more people died than expected for a period based on figures from the past. Under-mortality could also occur in some periods if fewer people die than expected. Under-mortality usually follows periods of excess mortality.

At 13 percent, excess mortality was highest among people under the age of 50. More people in that age group died last year than in 2020 and 2021, when the percentage excess mortality percentage was just under 10 percent. Between 50 and 90, excess mortality was lower than in the two coronavirus years. Unlike in 2021, more men than women died last year. In 2020, about the same number of men and women died. Excess mortality was highest in Flevoland, Drenthe, and Hollands-Noorden last year.

A significant proportion of the deaths occurred among people receiving some form of long-term care, such as the residents of nursing homes or care facilities for the disabled. The excess mortality in this population group was 13 percent, about 6 percent higher than among the rest of the population and also higher than in 2021.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, life expectancy fell by several months. This year, life expectancy increased slightly again. Based on current data, men live an average of 80.1 years and women about 83.1 years. Despite the slight increase compared to last year, life expectancy for men is still four months lower and for women five months lower than in 2019.