At national level, the total number of deaths recorded as at 29 May 2020 having occurred between 1 March and 30 April 2020 is higher than that recorded in the same periods in 2019 and 2018: 129,084 deaths have been recorded in France in 2020 (an average of 2,116 deaths per day) compared with 102,785 in 2019 and 110,841 in 2018. The number of deaths in France between 1 March and 30 April 2020 is therefore 26% higher than the number recorded for the same period in 2019, and 16% higher than that of 2018.

The number of deaths, which averaged at 1,790 per day for the first half of March 2020, increased steeply to 2,250 over the course of the second half of the month. It reached its peak on 1 April with 2,795 deaths recorded on that day, and has been falling since then (2,540 deaths per day on average in the first half of April and 1,870 per day on average in the second half). It should, however, be noted that the average number of deaths per day is often high in January and February, due to flu episodes; over the last five years, the highest level was seen in January 2017 with an average of 2,200 deaths per day (see methodological note). In total, the number of deaths that occurred between 1 January and 30 April 2020 stands at 237,605; this is higher than the number recorded for the same period in 2019 (219,034) and 2018 (222,824).

At regional level, Île-de-France recorded the highest rise in the total number of deaths between 1 March and 30 April 2020 compared with the same period in 2019 (+89%), followed by Grand Est (+54%) and then Hauts-de-France and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (+27% and +25% respectively). In Mayotte, the number of deaths also increased by 24% compared with 2019. In all these regions, the number of deaths is also higher than that recorded in the same period in 2018. In two other regions, the figure is more than 15% higher than that recorded over the same period in 2019 and is also higher than in 2018: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (+18%) and Centre-Val de Loire (+17%). The regions and the departments are the places where the deaths have occurred, and not the places of residence of the deceased.

At departmental level, three departments recorded at least twice the number of deaths between 1 March and 30 April 2020 than over the same period in 2019. These are Seine-Saint-Denis (+123%), Haut-Rhin (+115%) and Hauts-de-Seine (+112%). Among the ten departments that have recorded the highest increases in deaths over this period between 2019 and 2020, there are also six other departments in the Île-de-France region (with increases ranging from +68% in Paris to 94% in Val-de-Marne) and again one department in the Grand Est region, Vosges (+84%). Five departments have recorded an increase of between 50% and 60% compared with 2019. These are Oise (60%), Moselle (58%), Bas-Rhin (56%), Doubs (55%) and Aisne (50%). A total of 34 departments have noted increases in deaths of at least 20% compared with 2019.

In the Île-de-France region, the increase in the number of daily deaths was very high in the second half of March (410 deaths each day on average, compared with 220 per day in the first half of March, which is an increase of 90%). From the end of the first week of April, the number of deaths per day has been falling continuously, but at a slower rate than that observed in the growth phase. In total, the average number of deaths per day was 610 in the first half of April (+48% compared with the second half of March), then 330 in the second half of April (-46% for the second half of April compared with the first half of April). It was in Seine-Saint-Denis (+149%) that the increase in daily deaths was the greatest between the first and second halves of March, followed by Hauts-de-Seine (+101%), Val-d’Oise (+92%) and Val-de-Marne (+88%), with more moderate growth in Paris (+81%) and especially in Seine-et-Marne (+63%). In all these departments, the number of daily deaths in the first half of April was still increasing compared with the second half of March (with variable rates ranging from +29% in Paris to +69% in Essonne and +44% in Seine-Saint-Denis). It decreases everywhere in the second half of April.

In the Grand Est region, the number of daily deaths also increased very rapidly in the second half of March (+71% compared with the first half of March), but it began to fall from the first half of April (-2%). The decrease then became more pronounced in the second half of April (-33%). The situation in the departments of the Grand Est region is also more variable than in the departments of the Île-de-France region. In the second half of March, the increase in daily deaths was very sharp in Haut-Rhin (+144%), between 80% and 90% in Meuse, Haute-Marne and Moselle, and around 60% in Marne, Vosges and Bas-Rhin. In all these departments, with the exception of Marne, the number of daily deaths stabilised or decreased slightly in the first half of April, before falling more clearly in the second half of April. In Haut-Rhin, the decrease was significant from the first half of April.

During the second half of March, the increase in daily deaths was also notable in three departments of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region: Territoire-de-Belfort (+88% compared with the first half of March), Doubs (+47%) and the Côte d’Or (+42%). It was then moderate (below +10%) in the first half of April. Then, the number of deaths decreased during the second half of April. Finally, in Oise, one of the first departments affected, the increase was 35% in the second half of March, then it reduced to 3% in the first half of April before falling further (-24%).

There was a 25% rise in mortality observed in France between 1 March and 30 April 2020 compared with 2019, with a slight difference between women (+25%) and men (+26%). There was a slightly more marked increase in mortality for men in the two regions most affected by Covid-19, Île-de-France (respectively +86% for women and +92% for men) and the Grand Est (+52% compared with +57%). The same is true in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (+24% compared with +27%), but not in Hauts-de-France (+27% for women and +26% for men). In contrast, there is a much more marked increase in mortality among men in Mayotte (+13% for women and +35% for men) and in Corsica, where mortality falls by 2% for women and rises by 9% for men.

At departmental level, among the 15 departments that recorded the highest increases in mortality since 1 March (over 50%), 11 have a higher excess male mortality (particularly Val-de-Marne, Moselle, Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis), while four, in contrast, register a lower increase in deaths for men than for women (this is the case in Bas-Rhin, Doubs, Haut-Rhin and Yvelines).

For those aged under 50, the number of deaths recorded over the period from 1 March to 30 April 2020 has decreased compared with the same period in 2019. This decrease is 15% for those aged under 25 and is greater among young men (-19% compared with -8% for young women), which is probably due to lockdown measures that may have an impact on other causes of death, particularly accidents. This drop in mortality among the youngest people is also seen in some regions heavily affected by the Covid-19 epidemic (-12% in Grand Est, but only -1% in Île-de-France and youth mortality is stable in Hauts-de-France).

The fall in mortality is 1% among those aged 25 to 49. Beyond that age, the number of deaths increases more quickly between 2019 and 2020 as age rises: +12% for those aged 50 to 64, +22% for those aged 65 to 74, +29% for those aged 75 to 84 and +31% for those aged over 85. It even doubles among those aged over 85 in Île-de-France.

Of the deaths recorded between 1 March and 30 April 2020 in France, around 63,600 occurred in a hospital or clinic (49% of deaths recorded), 31,600 occurred at home (24%), 19,500 in a retirement home (15%) and 14,300 elsewhere or in an unknown location (11%). The information concerning place of death that is submitted by the town halls is declarative in nature and its quality depends on how much the person declaring the death knows about the circumstances of that death and their ability, together with that of the registrar, to select the appropriate cause of death (see methodological note). This distribution of deaths by place of occurrence is similar to that observed in 2019, with a slightly lower number occurring in hospitals or clinics (49% compared with 53% in 2019) and a slightly higher number in retirement homes (15% compared with 12% in 2019).

The deaths that occurred in retirement homes over this period increased very sharply from 2019 to 2020, more than deaths in any other place: +54% from 1 March to 30 April 2020 compared with the same dates in 2019, in comparison with 31% at home and 17% in hospitals or clinics.

These deaths account for almost 8 in 10 cases among people aged 85 and above and almost two thirds of cases in women. These proportions were similar in 2019. However, the very sharp increase in mortality in retirement homes over this period was more prevalent among men (+68%) than women (+47%) and among those aged 65 to 74 (+66%) or 75 to 84 (+64%) than those aged 85 and over (+52%).

The number of deaths reported as having occurred in retirement homes, which was around 210 per day over the first half of March 2020, increased very sharply in the second half of March, until 7 April. The number of daily deaths thus reached 460 during the first half of April but dropped to an average of 280 deaths per day in the second half of April.

The number of deaths in retirement homes thus multiplied by just over three in Île-de-France and by two in Grand Est over the entire period.

The number of deaths that occurred at home between 1 March and 30 April increased by 31% from 2019 to 2020. These deaths were equally prevalent among women than men, and 20% of cases were people aged 75 to 84 and 50% were those aged 85 and over. The increase was the highest for the oldest people (85 and over): +39% compared with +31% on average. At home, the increase in mortality was also slightly more prevalent among women (+34%) than men (+29%).

The number of deaths reported as having occurred at home, which was around 430 per day over the first half of March 2020, increased sharply until 5 April. The number of daily deaths reached 620 during the first half of April but dropped to an average of 470 deaths per day in the second half of April.

The rise in mortality at home over this period was more rapid than the overall rise in deaths in all regions, except in Grand Est (+49% at home compared with +54% on average) and Hauts-de-France (+25% compared with +27% on average). It was notable in Île-de-France (+98% compared with +89% on average).

Deaths that occurred in hospitals or clinics between 1 March and 30 April 2020 increased by +17% between 2019 and 2020. This rise is most pronounced among men (+22% compared with +13% for women) and the oldest members of society. Of those who died in hospitals between 1 March and 30 April 2020, 55% were men (compared with 53% in 2019), 44% were aged 65 to 84 (compared with 42% in 2019) and 42% were aged 85 and above (as in 2019).

The number of deaths reported as having occurred in a healthcare facility, which was around 940 per day over the first half of March 2020, increased sharply until late March. The number of daily deaths reached 1,190 during the first half of April but dropped to an average of 920 deaths per day in the second half of April.

The increase in the number of deaths that occurred in hospitals or clinics is generally lower than the average rise, except in two regions: Corsica and Mayotte.