In the age group between 55 and 79, the death rate dropped by about one-fifth. Photo credit: Freepik.
Prague, Feb 9 (CTK) – Mortality in the Czech Republic in 2022 decreased year-on-year in all age groups above 35. Around 120,100 people died in that year, fewer than in the two COVID-19 years, according to preliminary data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) released today.
In the age group between 55 and 79, the death rate dropped by about one-fifth.
Life expectancy in the Czech Republic has shown a general increase, by two years for men (to 76.1) and by about 1.5 for women (to 82).
While life expectancy dropped during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 and 2021, it has now returned to the numbers seen in 2018.
“Based on the preliminary data, 120,100 Czech citizens died in 2022. This was 14% (or about 19,800 people) fewer than the year before. Thus, 2021 remains the year with the highest death rate in our post-war history,” said Terezia Styglerova, head of the CSU demographic statistics section.
Although the number of deaths dropped significantly last year, it remained above the average for the years 2015-2019.
Statisticians say that ageing and the demographic structure of the population is also partly to blame.
The most deaths were registered last December (12,100), about one-fifth more than the average from 2015 to 2019, followed by January with 11,000 deaths. On the other hand, the fewest deaths were recorded in June (8,800).
The number of deaths dropped throughout the Czech Republic. The most significant drop was registered in the Karlovy Vary Region (-23%), while the smallest decrease was seen in the Vysocina Region (-9%).
“In none of the regions, however, did the number exceed the average from 2015 to 2019,” said Pavel Hajek, the head of the information service of the CSU Regional Office for the Central Bohemia Region, adding that in Prague, the number of deaths rose by 4% last year, compared to the five-year average before the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Czech mortality rate, or the number of dead people per 1,000 citizens, decreased last year compared to 2021, and the average life expectancy of both men and women rose again, the statisticians concluded.
