The figures for recent years show a rising trend in the mortality rate in the Basque Country, and while the COVID-19 pandemic caused an even more notable increase in 2020, in general terms this trend persisted in 2022. The average in the Basque Country was 10.7 per thousand inhabitants in 2022, and by regions, the highest rates were observed in Iparralde (15.4 ‰ in Basse Navarre, 14.3 ‰ in Zuberoa and 12.2 ‰ in Lapurdi) because of demographic ageing.
An increased mortality rate has also been observed in the EU27, rising from 10.0 in 2000 to 11.6 in 2022, and this may be attributed largely to the ageing population and to the increase caused by COVID-19. However, there are significantly higher mortality rates in some European regions, such as those of Severozapaden in Bulgaria (22.6) and Saxony-Anhalt in Germany (17.2), where demographically the population is older.