The UK saw 7% more deaths than normally expected during 2020 – one of the highest in Europe, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.
Within the UK, England’s death rate was 8% above expected levels across the whole year, Scotland’s was 6%, Northern Ireland 5% and Wales 4%.
During the autumn wave in 2020, Poland, Spain and Belgium were among the worst affected countries.
By the end of the year, the UK was in the top 10 worst hit.
The ONS figures do not include deaths from this year when the UK and the rest of Europe experienced a third wave of coronavirus, leading to thousands of deaths from Covid-19.