Hepatitis death rates in the European Union: 2015

The 2015 figures were released on the hepatitis death rates across the European Union member states.

There wer 5.2 million deaths in the European Union in 2015 – and 7,300 of them were caused by viral hepatitis.

Men and women were almost equally affected, with 3,900 male deaths and 3,400 female deaths. This has remained relatively stable since records were kept from 2011. However, about 66% of deaths were people over the age of 65 years.

Italy overwhelmingly recorded the most absolute number of deaths caused by viral hepatitis in 2015 (39.7% - 2,900), followed by Germany (13.2% - 960), Spain (12.3% - 900), and France (8.2% - 600).

If factoring the number of deaths per population of each country (per million inhabitants), the results are: Italy (40), Austria (31), Latvia (26), Hungary (21), and Spain (19).

Malta recorded the lowest number of viral hepatitis deaths in 2015 at zero. Low rates were recorded in Slovenia and Finland, both with 1 death per million inhabitants. Bulgaria and Denmark recorded 3 deaths per million inhabitants, with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic recording 4 deaths per million inhabitants.

The overall average across the European Union was 14 deaths per million inhabitants in 2015.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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