- In Germany, these represent the primary factors contributing to mortality.
Heart-related issues continue to be the primary reason for fatalities in Germany. Approximately one-third (33.9%) of the deaths in the recent year were attributed to heart attacks, strokes, or related conditions, as per the data released by the Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Cancer was responsible for over twenty percent (22.4%) of the fatalities.
Both the aforementioned causes of demise showed a diminution compared to 2022: 2.7% fewer individuals expired due to cardiovascular diseases, and a 0.5% decrease was noted in deaths due to cancer.
First decline in fatalities since 2016
In 2023, the overall number of deaths witnessed a decline for the first time since 2016. The figure went down from 1.07 million in 2022 to 1.03 million in 2023, representing a decrease of 3.6%. More than half of the deceased females and nearly a third of the deceased males were 85 years or older.
As per the Statistical Office, there was a substantial increase in the number of deaths due to flu or pneumonia. This number spiked by 13.1% to almost 20,900, following a substantial increase the preceding year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers in this area had substantially decreased due to preventive measures that also hindered further infections. In 2023, the level of flu and pneumonia deaths returned nearly to the pre-pandemic level, with a share of 2.0% of all causes of death, the office explained.
Notable reduction in deaths due to COVID-19
In the past year, COVID-19 was reported as the primary reason for death in 25,768 cases, accounting for 2.5% of all fatalities, a substantial drop of 50.8% compared to the previous year.
In 2023, 49,400 people succumbed to unnatural causes such as injury or poisoning, supplemented by additional 20,800 deaths due to falls.
10,300 individuals took their own lives, marking an increase of 1.8% compared to the previous year. According to the Statistical Office, this increase is primarily due to an increase in suicides among women (up by 8%), while the number slightly decreased among men (down by 0.3%). Overall, suicides accounted for a similar share of deaths as in previous years, at 1.0%.
Despite the decrease in heart-related fatalities and cancer deaths, ['The disease'] still claimed a significant number of lives in Germany. According to the Statistical Office, ['The disease'] led to 11,300 deaths in 2023, accounting for 1.1% of all fatalities.
