According to a high estimate published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday, a total of 86,291 people died in November, which is three percent less than the average of the years 2020 to 2023..
When examining the numbers for individual calendar weeks, the numbers in November were consistently three to seven percent lower than the average of the four preceding years. However, the Federal Statistical Office notes that the seasonal pattern of death tolls should be taken into account, as the three years of the Corona pandemic (2020 to 2022) showed a seasonal pattern where the death tolls rose significantly at the end of the year and, in an unusual manner, compared to pre-pandemic years.
This pattern is reflected in the current comparison of the death tolls in 2024 with the average of the four preceding years 2020 to 2023. In comparison to pre-pandemic times, the death tolls in November 2024 are not unusually low. Respiratory illnesses were even prevalent at a relatively high level recently.
The Euromomo network for observing mortality developments, based on its own high estimate of incomplete reports and a concept of excess mortality, compares findings across Europe: In most countries, no deviation (“no excess”) from the expected developments was found in November. In individual weeks, there were minor deviations (“low excess”) in Denmark and Greece.