1 in 8 deaths in 2020 from COVID-19

In 2020, the population of the Netherlands was 168,678, of which more than 20,000 died from the novel coronavirus.

This equates to about 12% of all deaths. 47,000 people (about 28 percent) died from cancer and other tumors, and 37,000 people (about 22 percent) died from cardiovascular disease. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands on the basis of preliminary figures for causes of death in 2020.

The number of deaths in 2020 was 16.8 thousand higher than in 2019, when 151,885 people died. Until 2019, the record death rate fell annually across all age groups. This figure takes into account the composition of the population. In 2020, deaths in all age groups, mostly among the elderly, rose mainly as a result of the emerging corona virus. The death rate from other causes of death decreased at the same time. The figures for causes of death are based on cause-of-death data from a doctor, which Statistics Netherlands receives from the municipality in which someone died. This story is based on a more comprehensive article Causes of Death 2000-2020, Shifts in the Most Common Cause of Death Grouping During the Corona Pandemic, in the Statistical Trends Series.

5 percent lower death rate from cardiovascular disease

Deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease have decreased since 2000. This decline has continued in 2020. Deaths from cardiovascular disease have fallen more than in previous years: in 2020, 5 percent of people died from this cause of death compared to the previous year, The decline in previous years was about 3 percent. The death rate from cancer and other tumors also decreased slightly by more than 2 percent. The standardized death rate from mental disorders and nervous system diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, has decreased since 2018. Also in 2020 there was a 9 percent decrease compared to the previous year.

In people over 50 years of age, deaths from causes other than COVID-19, excluding abnormal causes of death, decreased. In 2020, people with chronic diseases may have died prematurely from COVID-19. A similar picture can be seen in influenza epidemic years, such as 2018/2019. This development was the strongest among those over the 80s.

More people died from accidental falls

The number of deaths from non-natural causes (accidents, suicides, homicides and unintentional homicides) has been increasing since 2012 and in 2020 it was approximately 52 deaths per 100,000 deaths. This increase is entirely due to more people dying as a result of accidental falls (accidental falls, trips or slips). Deaths from this cause of death have been increasing since 2000. The number of road traffic deaths and suicides has decreased in recent years, and the decline continues into 2020.