
How many deaths are registered per week?
The higher winter mortality often coincides with outbreaks of influenza and/or the common cold. At the beginning of 2018, for example, there was a significantly longer outbreak of influenza in particular . This led to exceptionally high mortality, with almost 4,100 deaths in week 10 (5 through 11 March).
Winter mortality is relatively high among the elderly. In the first 15 weeks of 2019, the number of deaths among those aged 80 and over exceeded the number in an average week that year by 10 percent on average. It was 3 percent higher among people under the age of 80.
Conversely, mortality is below average among the elderly during the rest of the year, except during summertime heatwaves.
How is the situation in 2020?
In 2020, mortality stood at 3,145 per week on average in the weeks up to and including week 11 (9 to 15 March). This is slightly lower than last year, when the average over the first 11 weeks stood at 3,174. The first weeks of this year were not marked by a significant rise in influenza cases, and temperatures were not particularly low.
As of week 12 (16 to 22 March), the number of deaths increased to 5,084 in week 14 (30 March to 5 April). The rise coincides with the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. After the peak in week 14, mortality decreased to 2,774 in week 20 (11 to 17 May). Subsequently, mortality remained below this level, slightly less than expected for this period. In week 32 (3 to 9 August), 2,638 people died. During the heat wave, 3,206 people passed away in week 33 (10 to 16 August) and 2,845 people in week 34 (17 to 23 August). After that, the death rate went down again. In week 38 (14 to 20 September), 2,710 people died. Mortality increased slightly as of week 39 (21 to 27 September). In week 41 (28 September to 4 October), there were 2,996 deaths.
The first confirmed COVID-19 patient in the Netherlands was reported on 27 February 2020. The first death involving COVID-19 was reported on 6 March 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.
Deaths | Estimated mortality | Estimated mortality (95% interval) | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 3103 | 3277 | 2908 – 3645 |
2 | 3364 | 3311 | 2930 – 3692 |
3 | 3157 | 3344 | 2945 – 3742 |
4 | 3046 | 3392 | 3008 – 3776 |
5 | 3162 | 3407 | 3027 – 3788 |
6 | 3193 | 3401 | 2979 – 3823 |
7 | 3199 | 3408 | 2916 – 3901 |
8 | 2959 | 3387 | 2851 – 3922 |
9 | 3097 | 3352 | 2805 – 3898 |
10 | 3104 | 3315 | 2785 – 3845 |
11 | 3217 | 3253 | 2756 – 3751 |
12 | 3615 | 3174 | 2711 – 3637 |
13 | 4459 | 3104 | 2703 – 3505 |
14 | 5084 | 3024 | 2712 – 3337 |
15 | 4979 | 2957 | 2719 – 3195 |
16 | 4303 | 2915 | 2711 – 3120 |
17 | 3907 | 2869 | 2677 – 3060 |
18 | 3378 | 2841 | 2650 – 3032 |
19 | 2986 | 2821 | 2633 – 3009 |
20 | 2774 | 2794 | 2626 – 2962 |
21 | 2770 | 2770 | 2620 – 2920 |
22 | 2726 | 2753 | 2608 – 2898 |
23 | 2682 | 2735 | 2591 – 2880 |
24 | 2691 | 2737 | 2600 – 2875 |
25 | 2694 | 2725 | 2594 – 2855 |
26 | 2659 | 2717 | 2577 – 2857 |
27 | 2636 | 2723 | 2544 – 2902 |
28 | 2618 | 2719 | 2515 – 2923 |
29 | 2526 | 2720 | 2507 – 2934 |
30 | 2672 | 2707 | 2515 – 2900 |
31 | 2659 | 2687 | 2492 – 2882 |
32 | 2638 | 2682 | 2483 – 2881 |
33 | 3206 | 2669 | 2481 – 2857 |
34 | 2845 | 2663 | 2510 – 2815 |
35 | 2731 | 2667 | 2526 – 2807 |
36 | 2679 | 2676 | 2549 – 2804 |
37 | 2733 | 2698 | 2564 – 2832 |
38 | 2710 | 2729 | 2585 – 2873 |
39 | 2881 | 2752 | 2618 – 2886 |
40 | 2988 | 2786 | 2628 – 2943 |
41 | 2996 | 2807 | 2655 – 2960 |
42 | 3224 | 2839 | 2677 – 3001 |
43 | 2862 | 2661 – 3063 | |
44 | 2889 | 2683 – 3095 | |
45 | 2902 | 2692 – 3111 | |
46 | 2932 | 2710 – 3155 | |
47 | 2972 | 2742 – 3202 | |
48 | 3012 | 2762 – 3263 | |
49 | 3037 | 2742 – 3332 | |
50 | 3100 | 2800 – 3399 | |
51 | 3166 | 2830 – 3501 | |
52 | 3222 | 2871 – 3573 | |
* Provisional figures. Week 42 is an estimate. |
What are the projections?
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) receives mortality data on a daily basis. In general, some time elapses between the actual date of death and the moment when these data reach CBS. Death announcements are collected weekly (on Thursdays). Usually, mortality data collected on Thursday include slightly over 80 percent of all deaths over the previous week. This information provides an indication of what we can expect for the coming week.
In the past few weeks, death announcements arrived faster than usual (the number of announcements received after one week averaged 83 percent of the total, excluding weeks with holidays).
For week 42, it is expected that the weekly number of deaths is higher than the expected level for this time of year. The number of death announcements received after one week is 2,685. The number of deaths for week 42 is estimated at over 3,200. This is 400 more than normally expected in this period. The elevated mortality coincides with the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic in the Netherlands.
Period | All ages | 0 to 64 yrs | 65 to 79 yrs | 80 yrs and over |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020, week 31* | 2,659 | 372 | 841 | 1,446 |
2020, week 32* | 2,638 | 418 | 820 | 1,400 |
2020, week 33* | 3,206 | 463 | 928 | 1,815 |
2020, week 34* | 2,845 | 414 | 858 | 1,573 |
2020, week 35* | 2,731 | 352 | 863 | 1,516 |
2020, week 36* | 2,679 | 411 | 825 | 1,443 |
2020, week 37* | 2,733 | 392 | 892 | 1,449 |
2020, week 38* | 2,710 | 392 | 840 | 1,478 |
2020, week 39* | 2,881 | 390 | 874 | 1,617 |
2020, week 40* | 2,988 | 430 | 908 | 1,650 |
2020, week 41* | 2,996 | 371 | 978 | 1,647 |
2020, week 42* | 3,224 | 457 | 950 | 1,817 |
* Provisional figures. Week 42 is an estimate. |
Sources
- Link StatLine - Deaths registered weekly; sex and age
- Link Series - Mortality per week