Hungary death rate fifth highest in EU

Budapest, May 3 (MTI) – The death rate in Hungary is the fifth highest in the European Union and 70 percent higher than the EU average, a fresh report published by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) shows.

Fully 127,000 people died in Hungary in 2013 compared with 107,000 in Portugal and 109,000 in the Czech Republic, two countries with smaller populations than Hungary, KSH said in its Hungary 2015 report.

Preliminary data indicate that the death rate in 2015 increased by 4.2 percent compared with 2014 but the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 4.1 percent, down by 0.05 percentage points.

Data from 2014 indicate that Budapest residents have a higher life expectancy than people who live in rural areas. Men who live in Budapest tended to outlive the average life expectancy by 2 years and women lived longer by 1 year.

KSH also found a clear correlation between mortality and educational attainment. Men with basic schooling were shown to have an average life expectancy of 65.3 years while women in the same category were expected to live 75.7 years. Men with higher education degrees had a life expectancy of 77.2 years and women 81.3 years.

Half of the 126,000 deaths in 2014 were caused by cardiovascular diseases, while one fifth were the consequence of cerebrovascular diseases.

The report said the number of GP practices with doctors holding permanent positions was on the rise after stagnating between 2008 and 2014. Practices had an average of 45 patient visits a day in 2014 and doctors spent an average of five minutes on a patient.

The number of health-care workers emigrating abroad has been on a slight decline since 2012 after continuously increasing between 2009 and 2012.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters