Shocking! Hungary has the 5th highest mortality rate in the EU

Latest Eurostat data reveals the countries with the highest mortality rates. It turns out that the ten European countries that have the highest mortality rates are all located either in Central or Eastern Europe. Naturally, the death counts are proportional to the countries’ population.

According to Kafkadesk, in 2016, 5.1 million people died in the EU, which is a number lower than the previous year’s data (meaning around 80 000 fewer deaths). Diseases of the circulatory system, such as heart attacks and strokes, cause more than a third of the total deaths. It is the main cause of death, causing 36% of the population’s passing away, which translates to 1.8 million people. Apart from Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France, it is the primary cause of death in EU countries. 

The secondary cause of death in Europe were types of cancers. These affect 26% of the population, meaning 1.3 million people.

Other diseases that contribute to the high mortality rates include diseases of the respiratory system (8%), accidents and other external causes of death (5%), diseases of the digestive system (4%), mental and behavioural diseases (4%), and diseases of the nervous system.

The countries with the highest mortality rates were all found in Central and Eastern Europe, with Bulgaria in the first place (over 1,600 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants). The second place is jointly shared by Romania and Latvia (1,476 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), while the third place is occupied by Lithuania (1,455 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants).