Santé Publique France published, Tuesday October 8, a detailed analysis of the causes of mortality in France using death certificate data dating from 2022. That year, France recorded 673,190 deathsa number higher than that of the years 2020 and 2021 marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to figures from the Department of Research, Studies and Evaluation of Statistics (DREES), the Inserm Center for Epidemiology of Medical Causes of Death (CépiDc-Inserm), mortality in France remains stable, butaverage age of people who died in 2022 is higher than in previous years, a probable consequence of the aging of the population.
The main causes of death still remain the same. The figures show that tumors, mainly cancers, still remain the main cause of death in France. They represent 25.5% of deaths. This category often affects people younger than the average for deaths from all causes. Although tumor mortality continues to decline, it tends to stabilize in women.
Other causes of mortality
Cardio-neurovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure, represent the second cause of death, with 20.8% of cases. These pathologies are particularly predominant in people aged 85 and over. Between 2021 and 2022, mortality linked to these diseases increased slightly among women, although it remained stable among men.
The third cause of death in France in 2022 is respiratory diseases (excluding Covid-19), which increased considerably to reach 6.7% of deaths. This increase can be attributed to waves of seasonal flu and the circulation of other respiratory viruses.
For its part, Covid-19, which had dominated the statistics in 2020 and 2021, decreased significantly in 2022, and is only the fifth leading cause of death. This decline is explained by increased collective immunity, thanks to broad vaccination coverage and less virulence of variants.
An increase in accidents among the elderly
External causes, including accidents, caused 44,800 deaths, which constitutes 6.7% of deaths. Accidents particularly affected people aged over 85, with a notable increase in falls and domestic accidents. Mortality from transportation accidents has also increased compared to the pre-pandemic era.
The locations of deaths have also evolved. In 2022, there was a drop in the percentage of deaths in public health establishments, while those at home and in nursing homes have progressed.
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