The percentage of extra deaths that occurred due to winter, including those that had COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate. The Excess Winter Mortality (EWM) index is calculated as the number of excess winter deaths divided by the average non-winter deaths, expressed as a percentage. Calculated so that comparisons can be made between sexes, age groups, and regions.

An EWM index of 20 shows that there were 20 percent more deaths in winter compared with the non-winter period. Provisional figures at country and region level are produced for the most recent winter using estimation methods, and so are rounded to the nearest 100 deaths. Data post 2019/20 should be treated with caution due to high numbers of deaths from COVID-19 in the summer period.

For data years 2020/21 onwards, instances where the number of winter deaths compared to non-winter deaths were equal to zero or a negative value, an EWM index is presented. (For earlier years, the EWM index was removed). A zero value for winter deaths compared to non-winter deaths is often affected by rounding, so in these instances, the winter mortality index can either be a positive or negative value. A negative winter mortality index means there were a higher number of deaths in the non-winter periods than the winter period.

Alternatively, figures are available for deaths excluding COVID-19, calculated using all-cause deaths that did not have COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate.

Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

Annual figures of winter mortality in England and Wales by sex, age group, cause, region, place of death and lower geographical areas.

The winter mortality index (WMI) is a measure expressed as a ratio of the difference in all cause mortality during winter months (December to March) compared to the average in the non winter months (the preceding August to November and following April to July).The terminology used to describe this indicator has changed to provide clearer explanation of what the analysis represents. The measures have been renamed to winter deaths compared to non winter deaths (previously excess winter deaths) and winter mortality index (WMI) (previously excess winter mortality index). There have been no methodology changes.

RationaleThe purpose of the winter mortality measure is to compare the number of deaths that occurred in the winter period (December to March) with the average of the non winter periods (August to November and April to July). Winter mortality is not solely a reflection of temperature, but of other factors as well. These include respiratory diseases and pressure on services, which have been more intense than usual during and following the height of the pandemic (1).It is an important measure as it allows users to assess whether policies are having an impact on mortality risks during the winter period (2). (1) Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 19 January 2023, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Winter mortality in England and Wales: 2021 to 2022 (provisional) and 2020 to 2021 (final). (2) Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 19 January 2023, ONS website, QMI, Winter mortality in England and Wales QMI: 19 January 2023Definition of numeratorTotal number of winter deaths for all ages in defined year 20xx/20xx+1 (number of deaths occurring in December in year 20xx and January to March in 20xx plus 1) minus half the number of deaths in the non winter months (preceding August to November in year 20xx and following April to July in year 20xx plus 1) and registered by 31 December 20xx plus 1.Definition of denominatorThe average number of deaths for all ages ( in defined year 20xx/20xx plus 1) occurring in the non winter months, i.e. the total number of deaths occurring in the preceding August to November in year 20xx and the following April to July in year 20xx plus 1 divided by two and registered by 31 December 20xx plus 1.CaveatsIn 2020, the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic led to a large increase of deaths mostly in the non-winter months of April to July 2020. This has impacted the WMI for 2019 to 2020. Because we rely on using the difference between deaths occurring in the winter and the average of non winter months; specifically, the scale of COVID 19 deaths during non winter months has fundamentally disturbed the data time series and so data for 2019 to 2020 should be interpreted with caution.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Births and Mortality Extract is based on registered deaths (Date of registration) and the Winter deaths compared to non winter deaths and WMI calculations are based on the date of death occurrences (Date of death). It is possible that a number of deaths might not have been registered when the data were released and this could vary between areas. This indicator only includes deaths which are registered by the end of the calendar year 20xx plus 1.Data published in the PHOF will differ from published ONS results which uses an extract of mortality data taken approximately five months after the annual ONS mortality extract is taken, in order to give more time for late registrations (for example, deaths that were referred to a coroner) to appear in the data.The WMI will be partly dependent on the proportion of older people in the population as most winter deaths effect older people (there is no standardisation in this calculation by age or any other factor).This winter period was selected as they are the months which over the last 50 years have displayed above average monthly mortality. However, if mortality starts to increase prior to this, for example in November, the number of deaths in the non winter period will increase, which in turn will decrease the estimate of winter deaths compared to non winter deaths.The counts are presented rounded to the nearest 10, in line with how data is presented by the ONS.

For the week ending August 29, 2025, weekly deaths in England and Wales were 985 below the number expected, compared with 855 below what was expected in the previous week. In late 2022 and through early 2023, excess deaths were elevated for a number of weeks, with the excess deaths figure for the week ending January 13, 2023, the highest since February 2021. In the middle of April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were almost 12,000 excess deaths a week recorded in England and Wales. It was not until two months later, in the week ending June 19, 2020, that the number of deaths began to be lower than the five-year average for the corresponding week. Most deaths since 1918 in 2020 In 2020, there were 689,629 deaths in the United Kingdom, making that year the deadliest since 1918, at the height of the Spanish influenza pandemic. As seen in the excess death figures, April 2020 was by far the worst month in terms of deaths during the pandemic. The weekly number of deaths for weeks 16 and 17 of that year were 22,351, and 21,997 respectively. Although the number of deaths fell to more usual levels for the rest of that year, a winter wave of the disease led to a high number of deaths in January 2021, with 18,676 deaths recorded in the fourth week of that year. For the whole of 2021, there were 667,479 deaths in the UK, 22,150 fewer than in 2020. Life expectancy in the UK goes into reverse In 2022, life expectancy at birth for women in the UK was 82.6 years, while for men it was 78.6 years. This was the lowest life expectancy in the country for ten years, and came after life expectancy improvements stalled throughout the 2010s, and then declined from 2020 onwards. There is also quite a significant regional difference in life expectancy in the UK. In the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, for example, the life expectancy for men was 81.5 years, and 86.5 years for women. By contrast, in Blackpool, in North West England, male life expectancy was just 73.1 years, while for women, life expectancy was lowest in Glasgow, at 78 years.

Provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales, by age, sex, region and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), in the latest weeks for which data are available.

There were 667,479 deaths in the United Kingdom in 2021, compared with 689,629 in 2020. Between 2003 and 2011, the annual number of deaths in the UK fell from 612,085 to just over 552,232. Since 2011 however, the annual number of annual deaths in the United Kingdom has steadily grown, with the number recorded in 2020, the highest since 1918 when there were 715,246 deaths. Both of these spikes in the number of deaths can be attributed to infectious disease pandemics. The great influenza pandemic of 1918, which was at its height towards the end of World War One, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused numerous deaths in 2020. Impact of COVID-19 The weekly death figures for England and Wales highlight the tragic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two weeks in April 2020, there were 22,351 and 21,997 deaths respectively, almost 12,000 excess deaths in each of those weeks. Although hospitals were the most common location of these deaths, a significant number of these deaths also took place in care homes, with 7,911 deaths taking place in care homes for the week ending April 24, 2020, far higher than usual. By the summer of 2020, the number of deaths in England and Wales reached more usual levels, before a second wave of excess deaths hit the country that Winter, and peaking in late January 2021. Although subsequent waves of COVID-19 cases resulted in far fewer deaths, the number of excess deaths remained elevated throughout 2022. Long-term life expectancy trends As of 2022 the life expectancy for men in the United Kingdom was 78.57, and almost 82.57 for women, compared with life expectancies of 75 for men and 80 for women in 2002. In historical terms, this is a major improvement in relation to the mid-eighteenth century, when the overall life expectancy was just under 39 years. Between 2011 and 2017, improvements in life expectancy in the UK did start to decline, and have gone into reverse since 2018/20. Between 2020 and 2022 for example, life expectancy for men in the UK has fallen by over 37 weeks, and by almost 23 weeks for women, when compared with the previous year.

In 2023 life expectancy for both males and females at birth rose when compared to 2022. Male life expectancy increased from 78.58 years to 78.82 years, and from 82.57 years to 82.77 years for females. Throughout most of this period, there is a steady rise in life expectancy for both males and females, with improvements in life expectancy beginning to slow in the 2010s and then starting to decline in the 2020s. Life expectancy since the 18th Century Although there has been a recent dip in life expectancy in the UK, long-term improvements to life expectancy stretch back several centuries. In 1765, life expectancy was below 39 years, and only surpassed 40 years in the 1810s, 50 years by the 1910s, 60 years by the 1930s and 70 by the 1960s. While life expectancy has broadly improved since the 1700s, this trajectory was interrupted at various points due to wars and diseases. In the early 1920s, for example, life expectancy suffered a noticeable setback in the aftermath of the First World War and Spanish Flu Epidemic. Impact of COVID-19 While improvements to UK life expectancy stalled during the 2010s, it wasn't until the 2020s that it began to decline. The impact of COVID-19 was one of the primary factors in this respect, with 2020 seeing the most deaths in the UK since 1918. The first wave of the pandemic in Spring of that year was a particularly deadly time, with weekly death figures far higher than usual. A second wave that winter saw a peak of almost 5,700 excess deaths a week in late January 2021, with excess deaths remaining elevated for several years afterward.

The Productive Healthy Ageing Profile data update for November 2019 has been published by Public Health England (PHE).

This tool provides data and further information on a wide range of topics relevant to healthy ageing. Indicators can be examined at local, regional or national level.

The aim of this tool is to support PHE productive healthy ageing policy and inform public health leads and the wider public health system about relevant key issues.

This release contains additional and updated indicators relating to:

• life expectancy
• flu vaccines
• cervical cancer screening
• employment levels
• deprivation
• fuel poverty
• housing standards
• access to psychological therapies
• ethnic populations
• deaths due to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer
• excess winter deaths

Many indicators are also now available for the latest local authority and clinical commissioning group geographies, reflecting changes post April 2019. Remaining indicators will be added in due course where possible.

If you would like to contact us about the tool email: ProfileFeedback@phe.gov.uk