Europe experienced a 50 per cent rise in excess mortality at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, according to data released by France‘s Insee statistics agency earlier today.
The figures show that over the course of one week, between March 30 and April 6, European countries saw more than 33,742 excess deaths.
Excess mortality is the number of deaths in a given period over and above what would normally be expected and is a measure widely used to estimate how many people died due to Covid-19.
Spain experienced the highest excess mortality in that week, with 155 per cent, after recording 12,545 excess deaths.
It was followed by Italy, Belgium and France during this period which was ‘the peak of excess mortality… linked to the COVID-19 epidemic’ in Europe, according to Insee.
Germany, western Europe’s most populated country, had a comparably much lower excess mortality rate across the same period.
The study did not mention data from Britain, which has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll, as it is no longer a member of the European Union.
But previous figures from the Office for National Statistics placed England and Wales among the worst effected countries across a similar period.
Europe experienced a 50 per cent rise in excess mortality at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, according to data released by France’s Insee statistics agency earlier today. Spain experienced the highest excess mortality, between March 30 and April 6, with 155 per cent
Italy had a 67 per cent increase in excess mortality rate with the country recording 7,669 excess deaths over the set week. Pictured: Medical staff treating coronavirus patients in the intensive care unit at the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo, Italy
In previous years the number of deaths in Europe tend to decline from March onwards after the annual flu season.
But the Insee agency said that in 2020 the figure rose sharply based on data collected by EU agency Eurostat from 21 national jurisdictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Compared to data for the years 2016 to 2019, Spain had the highest excess mortality in that week, with 155 per cent, after recording 12,545 excess deaths.
This was followed by 91 per cent in Belgium with 1,908 excess deaths and 67 per cent in Italy where 7,669 excess deaths were recorded.
France was also amongst the worst hit with a 60 per cent increase in the excess mortality rate after reporting 7,327 additional deaths, said the Insee.
Germany had a comparably much lower excess mortality rate of just 11 per cent with 2,076 excess deaths across the same period.
The study did not mention data from Britain but figures previously released by the ONS showed that in England and Wales there were 6,082 excess deaths across a similar time period – 59 per cent above average.
The overall excess mortality rate for Europe was 48 per cent following 33,742 excess deaths.
Spain had the highest excess mortality in that week, with 155 per cent, after recording 12,545 excess deaths. Pictured: Temporary hospital for Covid-19 patients located at the Ifema convention and exhibition centre in Madrid, Spain, following the peak of the pandemic
The upward trend in excess mortality rates decreased progressively across Europe and all but disappeared by the beginning of May.
Over a longer period, from March 2 to April 26, the Insee said more than 80 per cent of the excess mortality jointly registered in 21 European countries was from Spain, Italy, Belgium and France.
As a whole, more men than women died, the data showed, and these were mostly people aged 70 and older.
It noted a series of marked differences in excess mortality between countries and even between regions within countries.
These were likely due to differences in population age and density, access to healthcare, the timing and method of lifting confinement measures, and the ability to work from home, according to the Insee, though it could not say which factors played the biggest role.