Lowest Death Rate In Three Years Recorded In Iceland Despite Pandemic

The lowest number of deaths since 2017 were recorded in the Iceland as of April 15th, according to the latest figures released by the Statistics Iceland.

An average of 44.3 deaths per week were recorded in Iceland during the first fifteen weeks of 2020. During the same period in the three previous year, 45.9 deaths per week had been reported. The most common demographic remained people aged 85 and older throughout the period. The reason for the drop in Iceland’s death-rate is not yet understood.

Ten people have died as a result of COVID-19 in Iceland to date. An Australian tourist was the first person with the virus to die in the country on March 16th. Seven patients have since died in Landspítali and two residents of the Bergi carehome in Bolungarvík have died. The figures released by the statistics office include all deaths recorded between January 1st and April 15th 2020, meaning they reflect the death-rate during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in Iceland.

This chart released by Iceland’s statistics office reveals the fluctuating week-by-week death-rate in Iceland over recent years:

Number of deaths recorded per week in Iceland between 2017 and 2020