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Another record low for death rates in 2025, says CMI

14 January 2026

The Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) publishes frequent mortality analysis for England & Wales through its mortality monitors. Today’s updates cover the period to 2 January 2026 and the quarterly monitor sets out results for the whole of 2025. 

The key points are:    

  • In England & Wales, death rates for 2025 were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
  • Death rates fell in all age groups between 2024 and 2025.
  • Overall mortality in 2025 for males and females combined was almost 7% lower than the 2015-2024 average. However, mortality compared to the 2015-2024 average varies significantly by age and sex.
  • Mortality in 2025 was at or below the level seen immediately before the pandemic for all groups except for males aged 45-64, who continue to experience elevated mortality rates. 
  • Deaths recorded as involving COVID-19 have continued to broadly halve each year, with around 5,000 COVID-19 deaths registered in 2025, compared to around 10,000 in 2024, 17,000 in 2023 and 33,000 in 2022. 
  • There were around 82,000 deaths recorded as involving influenza or pneumonia registered in 2025, compared to around 85,000-88,000 in 2022 to 2024. 

Cobus Daneel, Chair of the CMI Mortality Projections Committee, said: “Death rates had returned to just below pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Encouragingly, we saw another record low in 2025, with death rates falling a further 2%. 

“The only exception was men aged 45-64 whose death rates remained concerningly above pre-pandemic levels for the sixth consecutive year.

“Despite the winter flu season arriving early, overall death rates in each of the last six weeks of 2025 were lower than in earlier years.”

All mortality monitor weekly updates are publicly available on the mortality monitor page.

The CMI publishes mortality monitors regularly:

  • Each week we publish a summary monitor, without a press release. The next is planned for week 5 of 2026 on Wednesday 11 February 2026.
  • Each quarter we publish more detail, accompanied by a press release. The next is planned for the end of the first quarter of 2026, in April 2026. 

Our calculations are based on the dates when deaths are registered rather than when they occurred. Therefore, results for individual weeks may not be consistent between years due to the timing of public holidays and changes in registration patterns.