For the first time since February 2020, there has been no excess mortality in the EU. According to Eurostat, three years after the pandemic, in February 2023 the indicator fell two percent below the initial value (average number of deaths in the same period from 2016 to 2019).
In comparison, the excess mortality rate was up eight percent in February 2022 (39,000 additional deaths) and up six percent in February 2021 (26,000 additional cases).
In February 2020 – i.e. shortly before the outbreak of the corona virus – the value was still minus three percent. The excess mortality rate remained high in the last quarter of 2022, reaching plus 12 percent in October, plus nine percent in November and plus 19 percent in December.
That was the highest recorded value in 2022. According to Eurostat, in January 2023 there was a significant decrease to plus three percent. The mark then fell further to the negative value of this year’s February.
Austria still in the plus
Among the EU countries still registering increases in deaths, Greece and Cyprus had the highest excess mortality rates (both up 12 percent above the national monthly average for 2016-2019), followed by Portugal at up 6 percent, the Netherlands and France each with plus four percent, Malta with plus two percent as well as Italy, Ireland and Austria with plus one percent each.
Although excess mortality has been observed almost everywhere in Europe over the past three years, peak levels and the intensity of outbreaks have varied widely between countries. In an EU comparison, Austria was mostly above average.
The largest peaks in deaths in the EU were registered in April 2020 (up 25 percent), November 2020 (up 40 percent), April 2021 (up 21 percent) and November 2021 (up 27 percent).
