Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Deaths

This page is no longer being updated. The final weekly Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey release was published on 24 March 2023. Please search the ONS release calendar for the most recent ONS releases including weekly deaths.

The number of deaths involving COVID-19 registered in the UK continued to rise to 619 in the latest week (ending 17 March 2023), up from 605 in the previous week.

Deaths involving COVID-19 accounted for 4.5% of all deaths in the UK in the latest week, compared with 4.6% in the previous week.

In England, the number of deaths involving COVID-19 varied across age groups, in the week ending 17 March 2023.

There were no deaths involving COVID-19 among those aged under 1 year. COVID-19 deaths were low among those aged 1 to 54 years.

Deaths involving COVID-19 fell in all English regions except the North West, the East of England and the South West, where they rose.

Deaths involving COVID-19 increased in the UK

Number of deaths registered by week, UK, week ending 13 March 2020 to 17 March 2023

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There were 619 deaths involving COVID-19 registered in the UK in the latest week (ending 17 March 2023). This is a rise from 605 in the previous week.

Of these, 512 were registered in England, 47 in Wales, 56 in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland.

A total of 13,683 deaths were registered in the UK in the week ending 17 March 2023, which was 9.3% above the five-year average.

In the same week, deaths involving COVID-19 accounted for 4.5% of all deaths in the UK, compared with 4.6% in the previous week.

Last updated: 28 March 2023

Read more about this in our latest bulletin on Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales

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The proportion of deaths involving COVID-19 that were due to COVID-19 decreased in England and Wales in February 2023

Percentage of deaths involving COVID-19 that were due to COVID-19, England and Wales, deaths registered in March 2020 to February 2023

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The proportion of deaths involving COVID-19, where COVID-19 was the underlying cause, decreased in England (from 70.5% to 66.9%) and in Wales (from 72.2% to 71.6%) between January and February 2023.

In England, the proportion of deaths involving COVID-19 that were also due to COVID-19 was highest in April 2020 (95.2%) and lowest in June 2022 (59.0%). In Wales, this proportion was highest in April 2020 (94.1%) and lowest in June 2021 (42.9%).

The first deaths involving COVID-19 were registered in England and Wales in March 2020. Since then, COVID-19 has been the underlying cause of most deaths involving COVID-19 (84.1% in England and 83.0% in Wales).

The doctor certifying a death can list all causes in the chain of events that led to the death, and pre-existing conditions that may have contributed to the death. Deaths with COVID-19 mentioned anywhere on the death certificate are defined as deaths involving COVID-19. Deaths where COVID-19 is also the underlying cause of death are defined as deaths due to COVID-19.

Last updated: 23 March 2023

Read more about this in our Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales bulletin

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Excess deaths were highest in April 2020 and January 2021

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales from March 2020 to December 2022 remained above the five-year average in 18 out of 34 months. The total number of excess deaths from all causes registered in England and Wales between March 2020 and December 2022 was 167,356 when compared with the five-year average. Of these, 103,585 were male and 63,770 were female.

The months with the most excess deaths continue to be April 2020 (43,796 excess deaths) and January 2021 (16,546 excess deaths). These were also the months which had the most deaths due to COVID-19.

Deaths where the underlying cause of death was not COVID-19 were 17,288 above the five-year average. Deaths were 20,945 above the five-year average for males and 3,658 below the five-year average for females.

The term “excess deaths” refers to the number of deaths above the five-year average. For 2020 and 2021, the average for 2015 to 2019 has been used and for 2022, the average is calculated from 2016 to 2019 and 2021 data. This provides a comparison of the number of deaths expected in a usual (non-pandemic) year.

Last updated: 9 March 2023

Read more about this in our Excess deaths in England and Wales: March 2020 to December 2022 bulletin

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The number of deaths decreased in most English regions

Estimated coronavirus (COVID-19) positivity rates, overall COVID-19 positive hospital admission rates with intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU) admissions, and number of deaths, by English regions, week ending 3 February to 19 March 2023

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In the week ending 17 March 2023, deaths involving COVID-19 decreased in the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, London, and the South East. In the same week, deaths involving COVID-19 increased in the North West, East of England, and South West.

In the week ending 19 March 2023, overall hospital admissions of patients with confirmed COVID-19 increased in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, London, South East and South West. In the same week, admission rates decreased in the West Midlands and East of England, and remained similar in the North West.

In the week ending 13 March 2023, the infection rate increased in the North West, East Midlands and South East, and the trends were uncertain in the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber, West Midlands, East of England, London and South West.

There is a delay between a person becoming infected with COVID-19 and being admitted to hospital or dying, and this is reflected in the lags in trends. Deaths figures are the number of deaths registered in the time period. The number of deaths in each region will be affected by population size and do not necessarily reflect the rate of deaths.

The data used in the chart come from our Coronavirus Infection Survey, National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports and our Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional bulletin.

Last updated: 28 March 2023

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Deaths remain highest for those aged 85 years and over

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Trends in deaths involving COVID-19 varied across age groups in England in the week ending 17 March 2023. Deaths involving COVID-19 increased for those aged 25 to 44 years, decreased for those aged 45 to 54 years and those aged 75 to 84 years, and remained similar for all other age groups. Deaths involving COVID-19 were low for age groups aged under 55 years.

Deaths involving COVID-19 were highest for those aged 85 years and over (251 deaths). This has been consistent throughout the coronavirus pandemic and reflects the highest overall hospital admission rates in the oldest age groups.

Last updated: 28 March 2023

The data in this chart come from our Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional bulletin

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No increased risk of cardiac or all-cause death for young people in general in the weeks after vaccination

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 vaccination and positive SARS-CoV-2 tests on the risk of cardiac and all-cause death in young people (aged 12 to 29 years) in England (8 December 2020 to 25 May 2022) showed that there was no significant increase in cardiac or all-cause death in the 12 weeks following COVID-19 vaccination compared with more than 12 weeks after any dose.

However, there was an increased risk of cardiac death in young women after a first dose of non-mRNA vaccines, with the risk being 3.5 times higher in the 12 weeks following vaccination, compared with the longer-term risk. There was no increased risk for young men for either vaccine type. Those who received non-mRNA vaccines were more likely to be clinically vulnerable and may be at greater risk of adverse events following vaccination than the general population.

While vaccination carries some risks, these need to be assessed in light of the benefits of vaccination. The risk of death is greatly increased following a positive test for COVID-19 even in young people, and many studies show that vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalisation or death following COVID-19 infection. A positive SARS-CoV-2 test was associated with increased cardiac and all-cause deaths; the risk was higher in those who were unvaccinated at time of testing than in those who were vaccinated.

Last updated: 27 March 2023

Read more about this in our Risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people, England: 8 December 2020 to 25 May 2022 bulletin

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COVID-19 mortality rates lowest for those with at least three vaccinations

Risk of death involving COVID-19 in England has been consistently lower for people who had at least a third vaccine dose or booster 21 days or more ago, compared with unvaccinated people and those with only a first or second dose.

Between March and December 2022, risk of death involving COVID-19 was similar for those who had received only a first or second dose and unvaccinated people, indicating possible waning in protection from vaccination over time. However, there is more uncertainty around these estimates because of smaller populations.

Non-COVID-19 mortality rates for people who have had at least a third dose or booster at least 21 days ago have been similar to those for unvaccinated people in the latter half of 2022.

While these rates are adjusted for age, they are not the same as vaccine effectiveness. Vaccinated and unvaccinated people likely differ in characteristics other than age, such as health. Some deaths are expected in vaccinated people, as the number who are vaccinated is high and no vaccine is 100% effective.

Last updated: 21 February 2023

Read more about this in our Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 April 2021 and 31 December 2022 bulletin

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The first reported care home death involving COVID-19 was reported in week 12, 2020 for England and Scotland, and week 13 for Wales and Northern Ireland. In all countries, there were sharp increases at the beginning of the pandemic, and again in late 2020 and early 2021. Scotland and Northern Ireland registered their highest proportion of weekly deaths in care homes involving COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic (week 18 2020: Scotland 49.4%; Northern Ireland 50.0%). England registered their highest proportion in early 2021 (week 4 2021, 48.9%), as did Wales (week 3 2021, 58.4%).

Differences between the four countries can be explained by differences in how each country defines a care home and the care they provide. However, trends in the proportion of deaths in care homes are still comparable despite these differences.

The UK government announced a UK-wide lockdown on 23 March 2020. However, since this date there have been differing lockdown measures implemented both between and within the four nations, with devolved administrations responsible for issuing their own guidance and legislation. In addition, there were also differences in various policies including COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) and visiting policies. These contributory factors influence the comparability of data between the four nations; therefore, caution needs to be taken when interpreting the data.

Last updated: 15 March 2023

Read more about this in our  Deaths in care homes, UK: 2015 to 2021 (final), 2022 (provisional) bulletin

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There is no longer evidence that rates of deaths involving COVID-19 are significantly higher for ethnic minority groups since Omicron became dominant

Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) of deaths involving COVID-19 for those aged 10 to 100 years by ethnic group and sex, England: 24 January 2020 to 23 November 2022

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Since 10th January 2022, when Omicron became the dominant variant, we saw a continuing decrease in the rate of deaths involving COVID-19 for most ethnic groups.

Unlike earlier in the pandemic, during the Omicron period, there is no longer evidence of ethnic minority groups having a higher COVID-19 mortality rate compared to the White British group.

For males the Black African, Black Caribbean, Chinese and Other ethnic groups had lower mortality rates involving COVID-19 than the White British group. While for females, the Black African group had lower rates than the White British group.

For religion, for much of the pandemic, COVID-19 mortality rates were notably higher for the Muslim group compared to all other religious groups. However in the most recent period this is no longer the case.

Time periods in this release relate to when different COVID-19 variants were dominant. To allow for a lag between new infections and effects on death rates, the time periods used in this analysis begin 3 weeks after dates relating to changes in infections. Multiple other factors are likely to have affected these patterns, including changes in infection levels, rollout of the vaccine programme and changes in immunity levels from prior infection.

Last updated: 22 February 2023

Read more about this in our Updating ethnic and religious contrasts in deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19), England: 24 January 2020 to 23 November 2022 article

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Of deaths in England and Wales where COVID-19 was the underlying cause, the most common pre-existing condition recorded on the death certificate was symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions, which includes “old age” and “frailty” (29.4%, October to December 2022). Chronic lower respiratory diseases were the second most common at 15.7%.

Overall, the proportion of COVID-19 deaths with no pre-existing conditions decreased slightly from 12.8% (July to September 2022) to 11.8% (October to December 2022).

Pre-existing health conditions are recorded if they are believed to have made some contribution to the death. If death due to COVID-19 has more than one pre-existing condition listed as contributing towards the death, it will be included in figures for all such conditions. The categories therefore sum to more than 100%. Health conditions may not be included if they were not considered relevant.

Last updated: 20 January 2023

Read more about this in our Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales: September 2022 bulletin

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Over half of the European countries analysed had a peak of excess mortality between mid-2021 and mid-2022

Relative age-standardised mortality rates by week, persons, all ages, week ending 3 January 2020 to week ending 1 July 2022

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Relative age-standardised mortality rates (rASMRs) compare an individual week’s age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR), expressed as a percentage difference, from their five-years average (2015 to 2019) ASMR of that specific week. A negative rASMR value indicates the observed weekly ASMR was below the 2015 to 2019 five-year average for that week. In contrast, a positive value indicates a weekly ASMR above the five-year average.

This analysis includes the UK as a whole, its four constituent countries and a further 28 European countries. Of the 33 countries analysed, the majority of countries (20 countries) had at least half of their weeks display a positive rASMR since the week beginning 19 June 2021 (week 25 2021). In other words, 20 countries had excess mortality in the majority of weeks since the end of the previous reporting period (18 June 2021). The rASMRs ranged from 0.1% to 120.2% above what we would expect.

The UK had the 16th highest proportion of weeks where mortality rates were above what we would expect (55.6%). However, when looking at those aged under 65 years, the UK had the second-highest proportion of weeks with a positive rASMR (79.6% of weeks).

Looking at all-cause mortality compared with the five-year average (taking into account population size and age structure) is the most effective way of comparing the mortality impact of the coronavirus pandemic internationally. Not all countries will record COVID-19 deaths in the same way, so using all-cause mortality means that robust comparisons can be made. It also considers the indirect impact of the coronavirus pandemic, such as deaths from other causes that might be related to delayed access to healthcare.

Last updated: 23 December 2022

Read more about this in our Comparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regions: 28 December 2019 to week ending 1 July 2022 article

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Relative age-standardised mortality rates by week for local authorities of Europe

Interactive map, persons, all ages and broad age group, week ending 3 January 2020 to week ending 1 July 2022

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This interactive map shows relative age-standardised mortality rates (rASMRs) by regions of Europe for the 33 countries from week ending 3 January 2020 to week ending 1 July 2022, where data were available.

Last updated: 23 December 2022

Read more about this in our Comparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regions: 28 December 2019 to week ending 1 July 2022 article

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The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) weekly provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland includes all deaths with coronavirus (COVID-19) mentioned on the death certificate. Figures presented on the latest insights tool are different from the daily surveillance figures on COVID-19 deaths published by the Department of Health and Social Care, which provide daily and cumulative deaths occurring within 28 days of a positive test.

To find out more about deaths data from different sources visit our more information page.

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