Excess mortality in Cyprus in December 2022 dropped to +19% of the average number of deaths for the same period in 2016-2019, and soared to +19% in the EU, the highest recorded value in 2022, according to Eurostat, the statistical service of the EU.
This is a sharp increase from November for the EU, when excess mortality was at +8%. In comparison, the excess mortality rate was +30% in December 2020 and +24% in December 2021.
In Cyprus, excess mortality for December marks a significant decrease from November when the rate was at +28% (+14% in May, +11% in June, +16% in August and +14% in September). In comparison to previous years, the excess mortality rate in Cyprus was +27% in December 2020, and +28% in December 2021.
In December 2022, excess mortality continued to vary across the EU members. Romania and Bulgaria (both -6%) recorded values lower than the national monthly average for 2016-19, while Hungary (+3%), Luxembourg, Spain and Malta (all +10%) had excess mortality rates less than half the EU average.
Conversely, the highest rate was recorded in Germany (+37%). Other countries with rates over +20% were Austria (+27%), Slovenia (+26 %), Ireland and France (both +25%), Czechia, the Netherlands and Estonia (all +23 %), Denmark (+22%), and Finland and Lithuania (both +21%).
The EU registered earlier major peaks in excess deaths in April 2020 (+25%), November 2020 (+40%), April 2021 (+21%) and November 2021 (+27%). July 2022 also showed significantly higher than the baseline mortality, possibly due to the heatwaves that affected parts of Europe during the reference period.
Source: Cyprus News Agency