What day do people die the most in France? According to INSEE data established over the last 20 years, it is… today, this Friday, January 3.
In 2023, last year, no less than 639,300 people died in France, or around 1,750 per day. This is 35,900 fewer people than in 2022, a year marked by five successive waves of covid and several heatwaves between May and August. But it is also more than over the period 2004-2023, due to the aging of the population: over 20 years, we expect around 1,600 deaths per day.
January 3, the deadliest day
But beyond these occasional variations, the seasons play a big role in mortality: year after year, winter remains much more deadly than summer. And the peak of this mortality falls on January 3, with almost 20% more deaths than the annual average. That's more than 1,900 deaths that day on average.
Why January 3? Among other explanations, INSEE puts forward “the desire to spend these holidays with loved ones, as well as the desire to reach a new year could delay the occurrence of the death of people at the end of life and partly explain this peak. In addition, this period corresponds to a resumption of scheduled surgical operations” after the confectioners’ truce. Not to mention the excesses of the holidays and numerous trips on the roads.
But this January 3, 2025 could however be less “deadly” than others: because according to INSEE, there are also “amplifying” factors. Tuesday is thus the deadliest day of the week, Sunday the least. The numbers are therefore even worse when January 3 falls on a Tuesday.
Fewer deaths on August 15 and in summer
Conversely, August 15 is traditionally the least deadly day. Between 2004 and 2023, an average of 1,450 people died per day in August, compared to 1,600 for the entire period. “The summer months (June, July, August and September) were the least deadly, with a lower mortality of -8% or -9% compared to the entire period, which can be explained in particular by a reduced circulation of seasonal viruses,” notes INSEE. On the contrary, “the winter months were the deadliest, with excess mortality of +9% in December, +14% in January, +12% in February and +6% in March”.
This seasonality is also true for the elderly who, despite heatwaves, die less in summer than in winter. Conversely, the youngest (1-17 years old) experience excess mortality in July (+11%) and 18-29 year olds in June (+3%), July (+7%) and August (+6% ) compared to 1% of deaths in the entire population. But these latest figures are not very significant: very few people die at these ages.
We no longer die on Tuesday… and on our birthday
For 20 years, every week, there have been more deaths on average on Tuesday (1,620 deaths per day) and fewer on Sunday with 1,550 deaths, followed by Saturday, with 1,580 deaths.
Deaths are also less common on public holidays. “As with public holidays, the lower mortality on Sunday could be explained by a lower number of care and interventions scheduled on that day. »
Finally, the risk of dying on your birthday is higher than any other day in the year: from 1994 to 2023, the average of deaths on that day was 6% higher than the average for the period. . The risk increases slightly more for men (+7%, compared to +6% for women) and sharply for young people and adults aged 18 to 39 (+21%).
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