In 2022, half of the deaths are due to diseases of the circulatory system (27,466 deaths) and tumours (27,422 deaths). This is what emerged from the statistics on causes of death published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. Among men, tumours cause the highest number of deaths: 26.6% of cases. Among women, diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 24.9% of deaths. If we consider the place and time of death, hospital is the most frequent place of death for people aged 45 to 84. Across all age groups, more than half of all deaths occur during the day: 29.1% in the morning and 27.3% in the afternoon. To pass away in the middle of the night is rarer, at any age.

Tumours and circulatory diseases claim the most victims
With disparities per gender and age

This year, diseases of the respiratory system came third for both men and women, after the diseases of the circulatory system and tumours. There was also a slight increase in unnatural deaths. The category with accidents, falls and suicides, among others, now accounts for 6.6% of cases. Although the rise was very slight, this is the highest level since 2001. As usual, boys and men are the most affected (7.7% of male deaths versus 5.6% of female deaths). In the 10-29 age group, these external causes are the majority. They even account for 62% of deaths among young men aged between 25 and 29.

Number of deaths for the three main causes of death, per region

For our oldest residents, external causes account for only 5% of cases. Over the age of 85, the main cause of death is circulatory disease (one-third of cases). Although tumours are in second place, they are relatively less common than in the younger adult age groups.

Are we done with COVID-19?

Has the virus that wreaked such havoc in 2020 still had an impact on the causes of death in 2022? In 2022, Belgium still had 6,539 deaths whose main cause is attributed to COVID-19. Although still present, this cause of death has fallen steadily compared to the previous two years, and now ranks alongside ischaemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. These three types of cause each account for between 5% and 5.5% of deaths. At the same time, there was a slight increase in deaths due to diseases of the respiratory system. In 2020 and 2021, this category of causes had fallen to around 8% of cases. In 2022, it accounted for almost 10% of cases, close to the levels seen before the pandemic (between 10% and 12%).

Can you die of old age?

An elderly person with no particular illness may one day leave this world for no apparent reason. So we sometimes hear “he died of old age”. This is not an official cause included in the international classification used here to classify causes of death. In this type of case, if no condition is found, the doctor certifying the death may assign code R54 “Senility”; he or she may also note that the cause is unknown.

Where and when do we die in 2022?

A place that varies with age

The deaths of the youngest people most often take place in a private home. The older you get, the less likely it is that the death will occur in the private sphere.

Dying in hospital is more common in the 45-84 age group: it is the last place occupied by more than 50% of people in this age group. Our elders born before the war die more often in institutions, usually nursing homes.

Respiratory diseases to the fore in April and December

In a previous press release, Statbel announced that December 2022 was characterised by “an above-average number of deaths due to an interaction of several factors, including the higher circulation of the flu and RSV viruses^[1]. Data on causes of death now show that diseases of the respiratory system - which include the viruses mentioned - were slightly more common in December than in the other months of the year. They accounted for almost 16% of deaths that month. In the same month, tumours accounted for only 22% of deaths (compared to 26-29% for the rest of the year). This category of deaths was also slightly more prevalent in April (13% of deaths).

Death most often occurs during the day

It was more often during the day that our fellow citizens left us: 29.1% died in the morning and 27.3% in the afternoon. To pass away in the middle of the night is rarer, at any age. However, a slightly higher proportion of our elders draw their last breath at that time: a good fifth of the over-80s in 2022.

^[1] RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is the main cause of respiratory infections among babies under 1 year old.