by The number of deaths in Germany increased by 4.2% last year. As the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden has now announced, around 1.07 million people will die in 2022, compared to around 1.02 million people in the previous year.
- Cardiovascular disease was once again the most common cause of death, accounting for a third (33.6 percent) of all deaths.
- In just over a fifth (21.7%) the cause was cancer.
Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death – how to protect yourself
According to the German Heart Foundation, the following points help promote heart health:
- Stress reduction
- Sufficient exercise, preferably endurance sports such as walking, cycling, running and swimming, etc.
- a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grain products and little meat
- Avoid cigarettes
- Avoid alcohol
- pay attention to blood pressure
- Avoid or reduce excess weight and abdominal fat
- Get a cardiological check-up for early detection of cardiovascular diseases
Corona deaths are decreasing
What about Corona?
- According to the information, Covid-19 was determined to be the main cause of death in 52,357 people who died (4.9 percent).
- A year earlier – i.e. 2021 – this was the third most common cause of death, with a percentage of 6.9 percent (71,331 deaths).
The numbers do not include cases in which Covid-19 was documented as a comorbidity on the death certificate. These numbers will be published later, he said.
In contrast, the number of deaths due to respiratory diseases rose above average by 18 percent to 67,633. Statisticians explained that the increase in flu deaths and people dying from pneumonia was crucial to this. The Federal Department does not consider Covid-19 as a respiratory disease in these statistics because it is considered separately as a cause of the pandemic, a spokesperson said.
Significant increase in deaths from mental illness
The Federal Department recorded a further significant increase (plus 14.7%) in the number of people who died due to psychological distress or behavioral disorders. “A total of 68,777 people died from these diseases, of which 25,941 were men and 42,836 women,” he said. With 53,323 deaths, dementia would represent more than three-quarters of this group of diseases.
The number of deaths from unnatural causes of death also increased: according to the data, 47,912 people (4.5 percent) died from a so-called external cause, which corresponds to an increase of around 11 percent compared to the previous year. The biggest increase was recorded in falls, with 20,311 people losing their lives (11.7 percent more). In the case of transport accidents, including road accidents in particular, the pandemic effect of the previous year no longer exists. Here, the number of deaths increased by 8% to 3,141 cases.
The number of suicides increased by 9.8 percent compared to the previous year, to 10,119 deaths. However, as in previous years, the proportion of suicides among all causes of death remained constant at around one percent. At around 74 percent, men made up the majority.
After the post-mortem examination, the doctor must complete a death certificate. Personal details, time and place of death are officially documented there. This death certificate contains a confidential section in which the suspected cause of death is entered. A distinction is made according to the decisive cause of death, concomitant or secondary illnesses and the immediate cause of death.
