10 April 2024
The Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) publishes frequent mortality analysis for England & Wales through its mortality monitors. Today’s updates cover week 13 of 2024 (to 29 March 2024) and the first quarter of 2024, based on provisional England & Wales deaths data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 10 April 2024.
The key points are:
- Mortality in the first quarter of 2024 was similar to the low mortality seen in the first quarters of 2019, 2020 and 2022. This is a significant improvement compared to 2023, with cumulative mortality rates currently 2.9% lower.
- This significant improvement was primarily driven by older age mortality where most deaths occur. Mortality rates in the working age population remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic lows.
- There were around 3,400 deaths involving COVID-19 registered in the first quarter of 2024, compared to around 7,700 in the first quarter of 2023 and 12,800 in the first quarter of 2022.
- Average mortality over the last 12 months is now also close to the record low, with only periods including 2019 having had lower annual average mortality.
Cobus Daneel, Chair of the CMI Mortality Projections Committee, said: “After periods of high and volatile mortality during the peak of the pandemic, we have now seen several months of lower mortality rates more in line with typical seasonal variations.
“However, the picture is less rosy for the working age population who are still seeing mortality higher than pre-pandemic lows.”
The CMI publishes mortality monitors regularly:
- Each week we publish a summary monitor, without a press release. The next is planned for week 14 of 2024 on Wednesday 17 April 2024.
Each quarter we publish more detail, accompanied by a press release. The next is planned for week 26 of 2024, in July 2024.
All mortality monitor weekly updates are publicly available on the mortality monitor page
