Click on different items in the legend to turn them on or off on the graph, and hover over points in the graphs to see the figures. The code and data used in this page are open source and available for anyone to use.

Deaths Data

Weekly deaths by year

Weekly deaths on a given date refer to deaths in the week preceding that date. The difference between the purple and orange curves is the number of non-Covid-19 excess deaths, and similarly for the difference between the brown and green curves. In this dataset, a Covid-19 death is defined as a death that occurs after testing positive for Covid-19 in the previous 28 days, regardless of what exactly caused the death. Therefore, in this dataset a Covid-19 death should not be interpreted as a death caused by Covid-19.

Sources: ONS coronavirus dashboard – deaths; The Human Mortality Database

Back to the top

UK annual flu and pneumonia deaths, 1901–2020, compared to Covid-19 deaths

Source: ONS – deaths due to influenza and pneumonia

Back to the top

UK causes of death, 2001–2018, compared to Covid-19 deaths

This graph plots Covid-19 deaths in the UK in 2020 against the six leading causes of death in the UK between 2001 and 2018. Covid-19 deaths are counted as any death that occurred within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.

Source: Our World in Data UK country profile

Back to the top

Weekly deaths within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19, and deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate, 2020–present

Weekly deaths on a given date pertain to the week preceding that date.

Source: ONS coronavirus dashboard – deaths

Back to the top

UK Covid-19 deaths by age group

This dataset from the Office for National Statistics counts a Covid-19 death as any death where Covid-19 is on the death certificate, regardless of main cause of death.

Source: ONS deaths registered weekly in England and Wales

Back to the top