Overall Death Rate in March 48%-higher Than Average for Past 5 Years

Bratislava, May 5 (TASR) – The overall death rate in Slovakia in March 2021 was 48-percent higher than the average for the past five years, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday, adding that the figure for March was the lowest in four months, however.

A total of 7,232 people died in March. The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic had a negative influence on the number of deaths for the sixth consecutive month.

In January, the overall death rate in Slovakia was 75-percent higher than the average for January in 2016-20, while the February figure was 67 percent higher in a similar comparison.

Despite the drop in the total number of deaths in March, the Statistics Office still registered a high number in the 65+ category, for which the death rate was 52-percent higher than the average for the past five years. The trend seen in previous months was therefore confirmed, with eight out of ten deaths being reported for people aged 65 and over.

Concerning the 65-74 age category, the death rate was 87 percent higher than the average for March in 2016-2020, a decrease from the 108 percent reported in January and the 103 percent observed in February. The situation also improved in the 75+ category, going down from 59 percent above the average for the past five years in February to 37 percent above in March.

When compared to February, the situation improved in five regions of Slovakia, but was worse in the remaining three. The hardest hit was Trencin region with an average death rate exceeding the average for the past five years by 72 percent.