Press Release 30/09/2019

DEATH STATISTICS I/2019

Deaths fell by 6.7% in the first quarter of 2019

There was a sharper drop for women, 7.9%, compared to 5.5% for men

In the first quarter of 2019 the number of deaths in the Basque Country stood at 5,984, 6.7% down on the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data.

By province, the decrease was 9.7% in Gipuzkoa, where 1,916 people died; 9% in Álava, with 719 deaths; and 4.5% in Bizkaia, with 3,349. By sex, 2,983 men and 3,001 women died, which was an decrease of 5.5% for men and a drop of 7.9% for women.

The main causes of death were tumours and circulatory system diseases, which caused the deaths of 1,611 and 1,545 individuals, respectively, which mean that together they accounted for 52.7% of deaths. As a third cause of death were respiratory diseases, which resulted in 834 deaths (13.9%).

Deaths as a result of diseases of the digestive and circulatory systems fell by 21.6% and 19.3%

The winter months are traditionally characterised for being those that account for the greatest number of deaths, with respiratory diseases normally registering the greatest increases compared to the other quarters. During the first quarter of 2019 834 individuals died from these illnesses, 9.5% down on the same quarter of the previous year (922 deaths) but 62.3% up on the fourth quarter of 2018 (514 deaths).

There were 228 deaths as a result of digestive diseases, 21.6% down on the same period of the previous year. Diseases affecting the nervous system, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, caused 355 deaths in the months of January, February and March, 19.3% less than in the same quarter of the previous year.

The cause of death continued to vary according to sex. Amongst men, tumours caused more deaths than diseases of the circulatory system, whilst amongst women the order was inversed: the main cause of death was cardiovascular disease, followed by tumours in second place. Diseases of the respiratory system remained the third cause of death for both sexes.

Amongst the deaths that occurred in this first quarter, 17 corresponded to children under 1 year of age, 13 boys and 4 girls.

Population growth in the Basque Country in the first quarter of 2019 was negative, with a population decrease of 2,274. The population decreased in the three territories: by 1,534 people in Bizkaia, 656 in Gipuzkoa and 84 in Álava.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62