Nearly 100 thousand young people are half-orphans

Annually, more than 12 thousand lose a parent

Every year since 2000, on average over 12 thousand young people under 25 have become half-orphans. The number was declining steadily In line with the rising life expectancy over the past couple of decades. However, it rose again during the two pandemic years (2020-2021). In that period, over 1.3 thousand young people lost a parent to COVID-19, i.e. 6 percent of the 22.6 thousand young people who became half-orphaned during the pandemic.

Especially young adults likely to lose a parent

Young adults (18 to 24-year-olds) are relatively more likely to be (half-)orphaned than younger people because their parents are generally older. In 2021, 6,640 young adults lost either their father or mother. In the same year, 2,850 young people aged 12-17 were half-orphaned, along with 1,400 6 to 11-year-olds and 650 children under the age of 6.

Neoplasms the leading parental death cause

Every year over the past three years, on average approximately 3.5 thousand fathers and 2 thousand mothers left behind a child or children who were under the age of 25.
At 60 percent, cancer and other neoplasms formed the most prevalent cause of maternal death over the past three years (2019-2021). This was followed by other natural causes of death (12 percent) and cardiovascular diseases (10 percent). Five percent of the deceased mothers (on average 100 per year) had ended their own lives.
Among fathers, the leading death cause was also neoplasms, but at 40 percent it was relatively less prevalent compared to the mothers. The second and third most common paternal death causes respectively were cardiovascular diseases (18 percent) and other natural death causes (16 percent). Suicide accounted for 8 percent of paternal deaths (on average 275 per year).
During the two pandemic years 2020 and 2021, confirmed COVID-19 caused nearly 6 percent of the parental deaths; these included 503 fathers and 136 mothers.