Press Release 29/05/2017
Deaths increased by 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016 in the Basque Country
For the whole of 2016, however, they fell by 1.4%
In the fourth quarter of 2016 the number of deaths in the Basque Country stood at 5,425, 5.4% up on the same period of 2015, according to Eustat data. By province, in Álava there were 666 deaths, in Bizkaia there were 3,024 and in Gipuzkoa 1,735 people died.
The provisional data totals for 2016 recorded 21,214 deaths, of which 10,782 were women and 10,432 were men. The annual variation with respect to 2015 was 1.4% less deaths.
Amongst the deaths that occurred last year, 46 corresponded to children under one year of age, 18 girls and 28 boys. On the other hand, in relation to the 244 people who died at the age of 100 or more, 207 were women and 37 were men. Longevity has remained a feature of those who have died, especially in the case of women, even though in 2016 there were 32 less deaths among the population of centenarians than the previous year, of which 12 corresponded to men and 20 to women.
Tumours were the main cause of death in 2016
29.8% of the deaths that occurred in 2016, or 6,317 cases, were due to tumours. Following these were deaths caused by diseases of the circulatory system, 26.9% (5,715 deaths) and, in third place, some way behind, were deaths associated with diseases of the respiratory system, which accounted for 9.7% (2,050).
The cause of death varied according to sex: amongst men, tumours caused 10.5 percentage points more deaths than diseases of the circulatory system in 2016. The main cause of death amongst women was cardiovascular disease, followed in second place by tumours, although in this case the difference between them was just 5 percentage points.
Population growth was negative in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa and positive in Álava
With provisional data from 2016, population growth in the Basque Country was negative with deaths exceeding births by 3,010 individuals. By province, Bizkaia had a negative balance, with its population decreasing by 2,605; Gipuzkoa lost 791 people and Álava was the only province with a positive balance, its population increasing by 386 inhabitants.
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