These are the most common causes of death in 2022 – Covid-19 is in this ranking

In 2022, cardiovascular disease was responsible for the majority of deaths at 27.5 percent, and cancer at 23.1 percent. As before the pandemic, dementia came in third at 8.8 percent. Covid-19 caused a total of 5.5 percent of deaths last year, ranking fifth behind respiratory diseases (6.1 percent), as the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) wrote in a statement on Monday.

A total of 74,425 people died in Switzerland last year. Of these, 36,442 were men and 37,983 were women. The average age of those who died was 77 years for men and 83 years for women. Compared to 2021, the mortality rate for men increased by half a percent (+1,337 deaths) and for women by 2.8 percent (+1,896 deaths).

For the most common causes of death, cardiovascular disease, the number of deaths among men was 9,512 (26.1 percent) and among women 10,951 (28.8 percent). According to the BFS, the average age of people was 81.4 years for men and 87.4 years for women.

A total of 4,114 people died due to Covid-19, including 2,207 men (53.6 percent) and 1,907 women (46.4 percent). The average age for men was 82 years and for women 85 years.

Six deaths were due to side effects of the Covid-19 vaccination, compared to 19 deaths in 2021, the BSF wrote. These involved four women with an average age of 85 years and two men with an average age of 91 years. Various diseases were diagnosed among the deceased.

According to the BFS, 9,310 men and 7,910 women died from cancer last year, both with an average age of 75. Lung cancer caused the most cancer-related deaths, accounting for 18.1 percent of women and 20.3 percent of men. In second place was prostate cancer in men (14.5 percent) and breast cancer in women (17.2 percent).

In 2022, 6,546 (8.8 percent) dementia-related deaths were recorded. This involved 2,047 men with an average age of 86 years and 4,499 women with an average age of 89 years.

According to the BFS, there is a gender difference when it comes to respiratory disease: although it is the third most common cause of death for men at 6.5 percent (2,351 deaths), it ranks fourth for women at 5.7 percent . (2,166 deaths).

In 2022, the number of road traffic deaths increased: a total of 233 people died: 173 men with an average age of 54 years and 60 women with an average age of 53 years. According to the BFS, this equates to an increase of 13 percent for men and 71 percent for women compared to 2021.

However, the number of suicides has decreased slightly in 2022. 263 women (average age 54 years) and 695 men (average age 58 years) committed suicide. However, the number of assisted suicide cases continued to increase: in 2022, 945 women and 649 men opted for assisted suicide. In 2021 there were still 1,148 people. (jn/sda)