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Nuria Triguero
Malaga
Tuesday, 27 August 2024, 12:28
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For the first time since 2019 (that is, before the coronavirus pandemic) Malaga province's annual death toll fell below 14,000 in 2023. Last year marked the end of the escalation in the death rate that began with the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 and continued for another three years. Despite the increase in population and the inexorable onslaught of an ageing population, the province recorded 13,489 deaths, which is 705 fewer than in 2022. This decrease from one year to the next in proportional terms is equivalent to 5% that, in terms of demographic phenomena, represents a considerable variation for such a short period.
There are two main reasons for this change in the upward trend in recent years: the drop in Covid-related mortality (from 799 lives taken in 2022 to 221 in 2023, a 72% decrease) and the more moderate, but still notable, decrease (10.7%) in the leading causes of death, which are diseases of the circulatory system (with 440 fewer fatalities than in the previous year).
These figures, published by Andalucía's institute of statistics and cartography (IECA), are still provisional but represent a downward correction of the first mortality estimate published by Spain's INE (national statistics institute) for Malaga in 2023, which spoke of 14,557 deaths, and also of the advance release of data at the end of June by the IECA itself, which spoke of 13,640. Now, pending the publication of the definitive results, the number of deaths is estimated at 13,489 for last year.
Despite the decrease in mortality associated with the group of circulatory diseases (stroke, heart attacks, ischaemia and heart failure, among others), these still represent the leading cause of death in Malaga, with 3,662 deaths recorded in 2023. Cancer is hot on its heels, with 3,518 deaths last year, although there was also a slight decrease (2.9%) in cancer-related deaths in Malaga with 100 fewer deaths than the previous year. The type of cancer that caused the most deaths was, for yet another year, lung and respiratory tract cancer, a total of 736 (almost 7% less than the previous year). It was followed, but way behind, by colon cancer (321, 3% less) and breast cancer (243, sadly 8% more).
The third major cause of death in Malaga is the group of respiratory-related diseases, with 1,323 people dying in Malaga in 2023, 10.4% more than the previous year. It should be noted that pneumonia not associated with covid and influenza increased its incidence. Diseases of the nervous system, which is the group that includes Alzheimer's, were the fourth cause of death with 910 deaths (1.5% less than the previous year). In fifth place were digestive diseases, with 734 deaths (an annual increase of 3.1%). Also noteworthy are the 636 deaths related to "organic, senile and pre-senile mental disorders", which represent an annual increase of 7.1%. Together with the victims of Alzheimer's disease, this makes a total of 1,159 deaths in one year in Malaga due to dementias linked to old age.
Of all the deaths that occurred last year in Malaga, 97.3% were caused by health problems and 2.7% (corresponding to 365 in absolute numbers) were due to "external causes" ranging from accidents to suicides and homicides. This category experienced a slight increase (2.2%) compared to the previous year, in contrast to "natural" deaths, which decreased.
The most common, unnatural cause of death, and also the one with the greatest increase in the number of victims in 2023, was the accidental fall: 105 people died in Malaga for this reason in 2023, 20.7% more than the previous year. On the other hand, suicides maintained their downward trend for the second consecutive year in Malaga with 104 deaths (one less than in 2022 and 73 less than in 2021, a year that was a fateful one in terms of suicides). Traffic accident fatalities also fell (there were 36, down 16%) and drowning fatalities (34, down 32%). In contrast there were eight deaths caused by fires compared to zero in 2022, and eight people were killed (one more than the previous year). Overdose deaths also increased by 14% to 24 victims.
Men and women do not die for the same reasons. Cancer, for example, takes its toll on men more than on women. In 2023, 2,095 men and 1,423 women died in Malaga as a result of tumours. In fact, cancer is the main cause of death for Malaga's male population. This is not the case for women, whose main risk is diseases of the circulatory system (the cause of death for 1,869 women).
Men are more vulnerable to respiratory diseases (with 800 deaths last year compared to 523 deaths) and women to Alzheimer's and other dementias related to old age. If all types of deaths are added together, the already established fact that the male gender suffers a higher mortality rate is maintained: last year 6,997 men and 6,492 women died in Malaga.
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