Analysis from BBC News has found that the UK’s death rate has hit a record low. Mortality experts examined death certificates in 2024, finding that deaths per capita had returned to their pre-pandemic levels, and fallen below the previous record from 2019.
However, the new figures, BBC News said, put the country “back on its long-term trend of only gradual improvement.” The research came from analysts working for the Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.
“This is five years of basically flat mortality improvement, it’s pretty poor by historical standards,” Stuart McDonald from the CMI said. He also pointed to a “concerning rise” in the death rate among those who are at young working ages. A spokesperson for the Department of Health said that the government would be “shifting focus from sickness to prevention.”
The registered death rate in the UK had steadily halved between 1974 and 2011. Improvements in tackling heart disease, including smoking prevention and medical advances were among the main reasons for this.
Between 2011 and 2019 however, the improvements “drastically slowed,” before changing course during the pandemic which saw thousands more deaths than normal. The first post-pandemic year, 2022, saw a high number of additional deaths.
In calculating the “record low” 2024 UK figure of 989 deaths per 100,000 the CMI looked at provisional weekly death registration figures for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
“Clearly, it’s very good news that our mortality rate is lower in 2024 than it was,” Dr Veena Raleigh, an epidemiologist at health think tank The King’s Fund, said. “But if you look at the broader canvas then it’s not so good.”
While many countries saw a similar slowdown since 2011, the UK, according to the BBC, has seen a more “severe” trend, with the life expectancy, according to Dr Veena, being at the “bottom of the pack of comparable countries.” Spain for example, she added, had returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
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