What day are we most likely to die?

In 2023, 639,300 people died in France, or 35,900 fewer people than in 2022, a year of high mortality according to an INSEE study. The institute analyzed all the deaths occurring on French soil between 2004 and 2023 and were able to draw several observations.

“Birthday syndrome”

Older people who die less in the summer or on January 3, the day of the year when the greatest number of deaths are recorded, are all observations made by INSEE. Indeed, at the start of the year, an average of 1,900 people died compared to 1,600 on other days of the year. This peak can be explained firstly because there are more deaths in winter, particularly among the elderly due to viruses such as the flu or Covid.

However, these New Year's deaths would have another explanation, explains Chloé Tavan of INSEE. According to her, as “it is a day following the end of year holidays” “we can think that there are factors of a psychological nature which will play behind what we call 'postponement of death' of a person who is ill or at the end of life and who could delay the inevitable to enjoy an additional moment of conviviality with family.

Besides, your birthday is also one of the deadliest days of the year. A result called “birthday syndrome”. Among the youngest, this could be explained by “a moment of risky behavior, road accidents, falls, but also cardiovascular accidents for people of intermediate age linked to excessive alcohol consumption “.

Conversely, on August 15, few deaths were recorded. The Institute has noticed that fewer people die on public holidays, particularly in hospitals. This is because fewer surgical procedures are planned during leave.