Press Release 18/03/2015

DEATH STATISTICS. III/2014

Deaths fell by 3.6% in the third quarter of 2014

22% of those who died were over 90 years of age

In the third quarter of 2014 the figure for deaths in the Basque Country stood at 4,351, which was a drop of 3.6% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to Eustat data. As far as the sex of the people who died was concerned, 2,133 (49%) were women and 2,218 (51%) were men. By province, in Álava there were 538 deaths, in Bizkaia there were 2,403 and in Gipuzkoa 1,410 people died.

If we consider the age at the time of death, 21% of the people who died were under 70 years of age, 18% were between 70 and 79, 39% were between 80 and 89, and the remaining 22%, more than 900 people, were aged 90 or over.

For the first time, tumours were the main cause of death amongst women

The main cause of death was due to tumours: 1,485 people died for this reason (34.1%). Following this, as the second cause of death, were diseases of the circulatory system, which accounted for 1,057 deaths (24.3%). The third main cause of death was respiratory disease, which caused 341 mortalities over the last few months (7.8%).

This is the first quarter in which tumours have exceeded circulatory system diseases amongst women, although the difference is of only one percentage point (27.4% compared to 26.3% respectively). Amongst men, tumours continued to be the main cause of death and their rate remained high, at 40.6%; circulatory system diseases also came in second place, although at a lower percentage than for women, at 22.4%. Diseases of the respiratory system remained the third cause of death for both sexes.

Amongst the deaths that occurred in the third quarter of 2014, 13 corresponded to children under the age of one, 7 boys and 6 girls.

Population growth was positive in the Basque Country

Population growth in the Basque Country was positive in the third quarter of 2014, with birth exceeding deaths by 589 individuals. They rose in the three provinces: The population of Álava increased by 309 inhabitants, Gipuzkoa by 196 and Bizkaia by 84.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62 Further press releases on death statistics of the Basque Country Databank on the death statistics of the Basque Country