Press Release 04/12/2015
In the second quarter of 2015 deaths increased by 2% in the Basque Country
Tumours were the number one cause of death among men and cardiovascular diseases were the main cause among women
In the second quarter of 2015 the figure for deaths in the Basque Country stood at 4,816, which was a rise of 2% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to Eustat data. Deaths increased in the three provinces: in Álava 598 people died, an increase of 6.2%; in 2,675 in Bizkaia (+2.3%), and 1,543 in Gipuzkoa, where there was hardly any change (+0.1%).
According to distribution by sex, men accounted for 51.2% and women the remaining 48.8%. In all, almost two thirds of the deaths (63.7%) corresponded to people over 80 years old, but the percentage rose to 74.6% among women, and dropped 53.2% for men. Of the 59 people who died at the age of 100 or more, 51 were women and only 8 were men.
Amongst the deaths that occurred in the second quarter of 2015, 12 corresponded to children under the age of one, 8 boys and 4 girls.
The main causes of death were tumours and circulatory system diseases, which caused the deaths of 1,519 and 1,278 individuals, respectively, which mean that together they accounted for 58% of deaths. As a third cause of death were respiratory diseases, which resulted in 429 deaths (8,9%).
Diseases of the nervous system, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, saw the largest increase with respect to the same quarter of the previous year, at 9%.
Tumours were the main cause of death among men, to the extent that they exceed the death rate by this cause among women by 50%. For women, cardiovascular diseases resulted in the most deaths, 20% more than among men. The third most common cause of death for men were respiratory diseases, 55% more than women, whereas the nervous system caused 34% more female than male deaths.
Population growth was negative in the spring of 2015, with the population of the Basque Country decreasing by 142. Only Bizkaia saw a negative balance by 377 inhabitants, compensated in part by the positive balances of Álava and Gipuzkoa, by 173 and 62 inhabitants, respectively.
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