Covid was third most common cause of death in 2020
Staff at the Geneva University Hospitals pay tribute to the victims of Covid-19 with candles and flowers during a minute of silence in March 2021
Keystone / Martial Trezzini
Covid-19 was the main cause of 12.2% of deaths in Switzerland in 2020, behind cardiovascular diseases (26.9%) and cancer (22.2%).
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Covid foi a terceira causa de morte mais comum em 2020
While there are usually around 70,000 deaths in Switzerland in a normal year, in 2020 there were 76,195 deaths, 12.4% more than in the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office reported on MondayExternal link. This increase was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it said.
Of the Covid-19 deaths, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women. However, the office said a final assessment of the pandemic could only be made once it is over and the causes of death for all affected years are available.
A total of 8,739 more people than expected (46.9%) died aged 65 and over; 301 more people than expected (11.7%) died aged under 65.
The mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases has decreased significantly in Switzerland over the past ten years. Between 2010 and 2019 it fell by 41.3% for men and by 32.7% for women. In 2020, however, it increased by 2.3% for men and 0.1% for women compared with the previous year.
Fewer people have also died of cancer in the past ten years. Between 2010 and 2019 the death rate for men decreased by 23.2% and for women by 11.6%. In 2020 there was a year-on-year decrease of over 3% for both men and women.
More
More
It’s not all about age: why Covid hits some people harder than others
This content was published on
New insights: two studies involving Swiss scientists suggest genes and blood sugar levels play a crucial role in the course of Covid-19.
The death rate due to external causes such as accidents and violence has decreased by 19.1% for men and 11.5% for women over the past decade.
The suicide rate has decreased slightly over the past ten years, according to the statistical office. In 2020, 696 men and 276 women took their own lives in Switzerland. For men, this was a drop of 6.2% compared with the previous year; for women the figure remained exactly the same.
According to the FSO, the first results on the causes of death in 2021 will be published in October.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Explainer: How ready is Switzerland for a new wave of Covid-19?
This content was published on
Covid-19 cases are on the rise again, sparking renewed talk of vaccination and a possible return to social distancing in the autumn.
Parliamentary body critical of Swiss pandemic preparedness
This content was published on
The Swiss government reacted passively to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020, a parliamentary audit committee has said.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.