Death rate in Germany: more deaths than usual

In November, significantly more people died in Germany than in the same months in previous years. The excess mortality was strongest in Saxony, where there are currently many cases of Covid-19.

In Germany, 84,480 people died in November, eleven percent more than the November average for the years 2016 to 2019. The figures indicate that most of this excess mortality is due to Covid-19.

Clear indications of a pandemic link

According to statistics, the number of deaths in November was 8186 higher than the average for the same months in previous years. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of deaths associated with the coronavirus was 7,335 last month.

Another indication of a connection to the pandemic is the age structure. The RKI findings allow us to conclude that deaths as a result of Covid-19 disease are particularly common among people over the age of 80. The Federal Statistical Office indicated that the number of people over 80 years of age who died in November was 8,192 higher than the average for the reference months. This corresponds to an increase of 19 percent. In contrast, the number of deaths of citizens under the age of 80 was comparable to the level of previous years.

“In addition to the direct and indirect consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, changes in the age structure of the population can also contribute to above-average mortality rates,” explained the Federal Statistical Office. In Germany, for example, the number of people aged 80 and over increased from 4.7 million to 5.7 million between 2015 and 2019.

Strong increase in Saxony

From a regional perspective, the development in Saxony is particularly surprising. For weeks it has been the state with the highest number of new Covid 19 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. In November, 39 percent more people died in Saxony than the average in comparable months of previous years. This difference increased from week to week. In the last week of November, the number of people who died exceeded the reference figure by 55 percent.