Around half of all deaths in Belgium can be linked to two factors, new figures from the Belgian statistics office Statbel show. The number of unnatural deaths has reached the highest level since 2001.
Of the around 116,000 deaths in Belgium in 2022, half were linked to diseases of the circulatory system or cardiovascular diseases (27,466 deaths) and tumours (27,422 deaths), the Statbel figures showed. It relies on data from three years ago because time is needed to analyse all causes of death.
Among men, tumours are the leading cause (causing 26.6% of deaths), while among women, diseases of the circulatory system are the main killer (accounting for almost one-quarter of deaths). Among people over the age of 85, one-third of cases are caused by circulatory disease.
The third most common cause of death for both women and men is diseases of the respiratory system. This category includes disorders such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, lung cancer, mesothelioma, pulmonary hypertension, and tuberculosis. These diseases accounted for almost 10% of deaths in 2022, up slightly from the previous two years.
Due to various factors, including the higher circulation of influenza and RSV, diseases of the respiratory organs were slightly more common in December 2022. They accounted for almost 16% of deaths during this month.
While the three causes were represented across all regions, there are some slight differences. For example, respiratory diseases are slightly more common in Wallonia (accounting for 11% of deaths), while cardiovascular diseases and tumours are responsible for slightly fewer deaths in Brussels (22.3% and 21.9%, respectively).
Finally, where Covid-19 was the third-leading cause of death in Belgium in 2021, the country recorded around 6,500 deaths caused by the virus in 2022. "Although this cause of death is still present, it is declining steadily compared with the previous two years."
Highest level of non-natural deaths
The most common causes are regarded as natural deaths. Statbel data also included non-natural deaths, such as accidents, falls and suicides.
A slight increase has been recorded in these causes, which accounted for 6.6% of cases. "This is the highest level since 2001," Statbel noted.
As has been the case in the past, men were most affected (7.7% of male deaths were caused by non-natural causes compared with 5.6% of female deaths).
Such external causes account for the majority of deaths in the 10-29 age group, while among older people, they account for just 5% of cases. Non-natural causes reached a peak of 62% among young men aged 25-29.
The hospital is the most common place of death for people aged between 45 and 84. Among the youngest, deaths usually take place in private homes. "The older one gets, the less likely death is to occur in private." Over 85s are most likely to die in places like care homes.
In all age groups, more than half of all deaths occur during the day: 29.1% in the morning and 27.3% in the afternoon. Nighttime deaths are rarer at any age.