COVID-19 mortality continues to decline in 2023

More recent figures are available on this topic. View the latest figures here.
© Hollandse Hoogte / Patricia Rehe
Mortality from COVID-19 has further decreased in 2023. According to provisional figures, nearly 2 thousand people died from the disease in the first seven months. COVID-19 as a cause of death constitutes a decreasing share of deaths. However, the total number of deaths in 2023 so far is higher than expected had there been no coronavirus pandemic. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this, based on the latest provisional weekly mortality figures.
One of the outomes in a CBS study on Excess mortality and causes of death (in Dutch) in 2020 to 2022 inclusive, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, was that deaths from accidental falls, respiratory diseases and dementia were proportionally higher in 2022 than in 2020 and 2021. According to provisional figures up to July inclusive, this trend has continued in 2023.

Less correlation between excess mortality and COVID-19 mortality

The number of deaths in the first seven months of 2023 was 7 thousand higher than expected had there been no COVID-19 pandemic. This excess mortality was higher than the 2 thousand deaths due to COVID-19. This also occurred in 2022, when excess mortality was 14.5 thousand and the number of deaths from COVID-19 was 8.2 thousand. The share of COVID-19 in total mortality, and its connection with excess mortality, continued to decrease in 2023.

Higher share of deaths from accidental falls, dementia and respiratory diseases in 2022

In 2022, the share of COVID-19 deaths more than halved relative to 2021. The share of deaths from respiratory diseases (pneumonia and COPD) and dementia increased, and that from accidental falls has been increasing every year in recent years.

The most common (underlying) causes of death in the past three years were dementia, stroke, heart failure, lung cancer, COVID-19, COPD, breast cancer (in women), prostate cancer (in men), accidental falls, ischaemic heart diseases, colorectal/rectal cancer, and pneumonia. These causes of death accounted for about half of all deaths annually. In 2022, the three most common causes of death in women were dementia, stroke and heart failure; in men, they were lung cancer, dementia and ischaemic heart diseases.

CBS switches to regular statistics on mortality and causes of death from pre-pandemic situation

In 2023, far fewer COVID-19 deaths occurred than in previous years. In the early years of the pandemic, CBS was still able to calculate accurately enough the expected number of deaths per week. This has become much more difficult due to the reduced weekly numbers. A description over a longer period than one week gives a better picture of mortality trends than the weekly Mortality Monitor by CBS.

As before the pandemic, the weekly Mortality Monitor by the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) will again become the main source for monitoring the weekly excess mortality probability in the Netherlands. For this purpose, CBS provides the data to RIVM. In addition, CBS continues to monitor mortality with the regular Mortality and cause-of-death statistics and, where necessary (in case of noticeable developments), will examine this further. More information is available in the article (in Dutch) ‘CBS switches to regular statistics on mortality and causes of death from before the pandemic situation’.

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