This is not necessarily a question that we want to ask ourselves, especially on the eve of All Saints' Day, however, it is better to be warned: on which day do people die the most in France? INSEE, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studieslooked into this question. It is in the wake of the end-of-year holidays that they reach their peak: January 3.
Public holidays and less deadly Sundays
By analyzing 20 years of statistics, INSEE's conclusions are implacable. There are on average 1,900 deaths every January 3the deadliest day. Vulnerable people are holding out until then to be able to spend the Christmas holidays with their loved ones. Another reason given is the risks associated with the resumption of scheduled surgical operations. But the younger you are, the more you should avoid another “critical” day: your birthday, especially for men between 18 and 40 years old. There are more excesses observed, more falls, road accidents, cardiovascular accidents or suicides on D-Day. In Japan, the risk of suicide increases on the day of one's birthday, reports INSEE .
Conversely, it is on August 15 that there are the fewest deaths, with 1,410 daily deaths on average, or 12% less compared to the entire period, thanks in particular to heatwave prevention for the most vulnerable. But if summer is less and less deadly for the elderly, vacations increase the risk of accidents for the youngest. Beyond August 15, public holidays in general and Sundays are less deadly.
More generally, the number of deaths in France decreased in 2023 (639,300, or 35,900 fewer over one year), after a peak reached in 2022, “year marked by five waves of Covid-19, two episodes of flu and periods of extreme heat”explains the Institute of Statistics.
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