Press Release 26/07/2024
DEATH STATISTICS. 2023
Deaths in the Basque Country fell by 7.8% in 2023
By month, the month of July stands out with 30.8% fewer deaths compared to July 2022
The number of deaths in the Basque Country was 22,311 in 2023, a decrease of 7.8% compared to 2022, according to Eustat data. By province, the sharpest drop was in Bizkaia, with 9.6% and 11,888 deaths, followed by Álava, with 2,914 deaths (-8.1%) and Gipuzkoa, with 7,509 (-4.6%). Compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 3.5% increase in the number of deaths.
In 2023 a decrease in the number of deaths was observed every month except March and November. July stands out with 30.8% fewer deaths compared to the same month of 2022.
The average age of the people who died was 81.5 years old
Considering the total number of deaths in 2023, there were 11,277 female deaths and 11,034 male deaths. The average age of people who died in 2023 was 81.5 years of age, whereas ten years previously in 2013, the figure stood at 78.8, meaning that it has risen by 2.7 years over the course of the last decade.
The average age at death amongst men in 2023 was 78.3, whilst the average age amongst women stood at 84.7. In 2013, the average ages were 75.5 and 82.4, respectively. Thus, over the course of the last 10 years, the average age at death of men has increased by 2.8 years, and that of women by 2.3 years.
As regards child mortality, there were 35 deaths of children under one year of age in the Basque Country. Mortality amongst newborns, occurring within the first 28 days of life, registered 24 deaths, 3 of which were during the first 24 hours and another 16 in the first week. Within deaths amongst children below the age of 1, boys accounted for 51.4% of the total.
In 2023, 552 people died at the age of 100 or over (born in 1923 or before), of which 83.5% were women. The number of deaths amongst centenarians increased by 31 in relation to 2022.
Deaths of the Basque Country by provinces, municipality (>40,000 hab.) of residence, sex and age. 2022-2023
| | 2023 | 2022 | Increase (%) |
| Basque Country | 22.311 | 24.194 | -7,8 |
| | | | |
| Historic Territories of Residence | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 2.914 | 3.170 | -8,1 |
| Bizkaia | 11.888 | 13.152 | -9,6 |
| Gipuzkoa | 7.509 | 7.872 | -4,6 |
| | | | |
| Municipality of residence (>40,000 inhabitants) | | | |
| Barakaldo | 1.044 | 1.211 | -13,8 |
| Basauri | 529 | 493 | 7,3 |
| Bilbao | 3.838 | 4.301 | -10,8 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 2.022 | 2.207 | -8,4 |
| Getxo | 742 | 817 | -9,2 |
| Irun | 598 | 664 | -9,9 |
| Portugalete | 561 | 607 | -7,6 |
| Santurtzi | 522 | 542 | -3,7 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 2.124 | 2.363 | -10,1 |
| | | | |
| Sex | | | |
| Man | 11.034 | 11.864 | -7,0 |
| Woman | 11.277 | 12.330 | -8,5 |
| | | | |
| Age | | | |
| Aged under 40 | 212 | 250 | -15,2 |
| From 40 to 59 years | 1.317 | 1.547 | -14,9 |
| From 60 to 79 years | 6.340 | 6.769 | -6,3 |
| 80 or older | 14.442 | 15.628 | -7,6 |
Date July 26, 2024
Source: Eustat. Death statistics
28% of deaths were due to tumours
28% of deaths that occurred in 2023 (6,248 deaths) were due to tumours, followed by circulatory system diseases, at 25.4% (5,659 deaths), and lastly, mental and behavioural disorders, at 8.5% (1,903).
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 main cause of death was cardiovascular disease, followed by tumours. It is also worth noting that there was a higher percentage of women among deaths caused by mental and behavioural disorders, in contrast to that which occurred with those attributable to external causes, where there was a higher percentage of men.
Furthermore, the cause of death varied in accordance with age. Amongst those aged under one, the most frequent causes of death were illnesses originating in the perinatal period and congenital malformations; amongst those aged from 1 to 39, the majority of deaths were attributable to external causes, including accidents and suicides; amongst those aged between 40 and 79, tumours were the highest cause of death, whilst amongst those aged 80 years or over, it was diseases of the circulatory system.
Deaths of the Basque Country by cause of death, according to age group. 2023
| | Total | Under 1 years | 1 - 19 years | 20 - 39 years | From 40 to 59 years | From 60 to 79 years | 80 or older |
| Total | 22.311 | 35 | 32 | 145 | 1.317 | 6.340 | 14.442 |
| I.Ciertas certain infectious and parasitic diseases | 354 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 72 | 256 |
| II.Tumores tumors (neoplasia) | 6.248 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 630 | 2.999 | 2.571 |
| III.Enfermedades Blood and hematopoietic organ diseases, and certain disorders that affect the inmunity mechanism | 110 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 84 |
| IV.Enfermedades endocrine, nutritional and metabolical diseases | 733 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 163 | 533 |
| V.Trastornos mental and behavioural disorders | 1.903 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 194 | 1.702 |
| VI.Enfermedades Illnesses of the nervous system | 1.495 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 54 | 420 | 1.006 |
| IX.Enfermedades Illnesses of the circulatory system | 5.659 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 244 | 1.281 | 4.113 |
| X.Enfermedades Illnesses of the respiratory system | 1.642 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 376 | 1.229 |
| XI.Enfermedades Diseases of the digestive system | 1.051 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 301 | 689 |
| XII.Enfermedades skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 74 |
| XIII.Enfermedades Diseases of the osteo-muscular system and the conjunctive tissue | 332 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 57 | 269 |
| XIV.Illnesses of the genitourinary system | 765 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 105 | 654 |
| XV. Pregnancy, birth and puerperium | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| XVI.Certain affections originating in the perinatal period | 23 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| XVII.Congenital malformations, deformities and chromosomic anormalities | 49 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 4 |
| XVIII.Symtoms, abnormal clinical signs and laboratory findings | 750 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 60 | 657 |
| XX.External mortality causes | 754 | 0 | 9 | 60 | 175 | 185 | 325 |
| COVID-19 confirmed | 358 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 78 | 276 |
| COVID-19 probable | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date July 26, 2024
Source: Eustat. Death statistics
The COVID-19 virus was the cause of 1.6% of deaths
In 2023 there were a total 358 deaths where COVID-19 was the main cause (all confirmed by a specific analysis),1.6% of the total. Deaths resulting from this cause were down 79.2% on those recorded in 2022.
By province, Bizkaia had the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 (228), followed by Gipuzkoa (91) and Álava (39). Considering these deaths in terms of percentages, in Bizkaia the percentage of deaths caused by COVID-19 amounted to 1.9% of the total, in Gipuzkoa, 1.2% and in Álava, 1.3%. As regards the capitals, Bilbao stood out with 78 deaths caused by COVID-19 (2%), followed by San Sebastián with 27 (1.3%) and Vitoria-Gasteiz with 23 (1.1%). Numbers were also notable in Barakaldo and Getxo, with 20 (1.9%) and 13 (1.7%) deaths resulting from this cause, respectively.
The number of women who died due to COVID-19 was higher than that of men: 182 women compared to 176 men. In terms of age, 77.1% of deaths caused by COVID-19 corresponded to people over 80 years old.
Deaths of the Basque Country by provinces, municipality (>40,000 hab.) of residence, sex and age according to causes of death related to COVID-19. 2023
| | Total deaths | Total COVID-19 | COVID-19 confirmed | COVID-19 probable |
| Basque Country | 22.311 | 358 | 358 | 0 |
| | | | | |
| Historic Territories of Residence | | | | |
| Araba/Álava | 2.914 | 39 | 39 | 0 |
| Bizkaia | 11.888 | 228 | 228 | 0 |
| Gipuzkoa | 7.509 | 91 | 91 | 0 |
| | | | | |
| Municipality of residence (>40,000 inhabitants) | | | | |
| Barakaldo | 1.044 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
| Basauri | 529 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Bilbao | 3.838 | 78 | 78 | 0 |
| Donostia / San Sebastian | 2.022 | 27 | 27 | 0 |
| Getxo | 742 | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| Irun | 598 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Portugalete | 561 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Santurtzi | 522 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 2.124 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| | | | | |
| Sex | | | | |
| Man | 11.034 | 176 | 176 | 0 |
| Woman | 11.277 | 182 | 182 | 0 |
| | | | | |
| Age | | | | |
| Aged under 40 | 212 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| From 40 to 59 years | 1.317 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| From 60 to 79 years | 6.340 | 88 | 88 | 0 |
| 80 or older | 14.442 | 276 | 276 | 0 |
Date July 26, 2024
Source: Eustat. Death statistics
By months, September was the month with the most deaths due to COVID-19 (57), followed by August (51).
There were a further 96 deaths in which COVID-19 was among the certified causes of death, but without being the main cause.
Population growth was negative in the three provinces
Population growth was negative, as there were 8,858 more deaths than births. There were negative balances in all three provinces: in Bizkaia this was 5,217 people, in Gipuzkoa 2,943, and in Álava 698. In 2022, the population growth rate was also negative, with 10,558 more deaths than births.
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