Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that most people died of cancer last year. About 28 percent of all deaths (47,000 people) were due to this disease.
37,000 people died from cardiovascular disease, 20,000 people died from the effects of the corona virus.
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Elderly
Compared to 2019, the number of deaths increased by 16,800 people. The coronavirus played a role in all age groups. Among the elderly, the number of deaths from cancer, lung diseases, nervous system diseases, mental disorders and cardiovascular diseases decreased, but many elderly people died from corona infection.
Diseases
In particular, people over 80 with a chronic illness also died prematurely from the corona virus. According to the CBS, this also happens if there is a hefty flu epidemic.
Deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease fell again slightly last year. That has been the case since 2000. Since 2018, the number of people dying from diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia has also fallen.
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Non-natural causes of death
In contrast, the number of people dying from non-natural causes such as an accident, murder, manslaughter or suicide is increasing. Death due to or after a fall is becoming more common, according to Statistics Netherlands, presumably because people are living independently at home for longer.
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Number of suicides remained the same
The number of suicides remained the same last year. In 2020, more than 1800 Dutch people took their own lives and this number is comparable to the years before.
It is not clear whether the corona pandemic will affect the number of suicides, according to statisticians. According to Statistics Netherlands, the decision to commit suicide is rarely due to one clear cause. “That is why it is very difficult with cold statistics to do justice to the personal suffering that lies behind every suicide,” writes CBS.
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