The past year was another record low for death rates in England and Wales, aside from middle-aged men who continue to die at higher rates than pre-Covid.
The Continuous Mortality Investigation’s (CMI) analysis for England and Wales in 2025 showed death rates for the year were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
Encouragingly death rates fell in all age groups from 2024 to 2025.
Overall mortality in 2025 for males and females combined was almost 7% lower than the 2015-2024 average.
However, mortality compared to the 2015-2024 average varied significantly by age and sex.
Mortality in 2025 was at or below the level seen immediately before the pandemic for all groups, except for males aged 45-64, who continued to experience elevated death rates, the CMI said.
Deaths recorded as involving Covid-19 have continued to broadly halve each year, with around 5,000 in 2025 compared to around 10,000 in 2024, 17,000 in 2023 and 33,000 in 2022.
According to the data, around 82,000 deaths were recorded involving influenza or pneumonia in 2025, compared to around 85,000-88,000 in 2022 to 2024.
Cobus Daneel, chairman of the CMI Mortality Projections Committee (pictured), said: “Death rates had returned to just below pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Encouragingly, we saw another record low in 2025, with death rates falling a further 2%.
“The only exception was men aged 45-64 whose death rates remained concerningly above pre-pandemic levels for the sixth consecutive year.
“Despite the winter flu season arriving early, overall death rates in each of the last six weeks of 2025 were lower than in earlier years.”