Asthma deaths in the UK
ONS figures give 1,238 deaths from Asthma and status asthmaticus (ICD-10 J45 to J46) registered in England and Wales in 2025. That was 32 more than in 2024 (1,206). Since 2001 the yearly figure has ranged from 1,018 (2009) to 1,422 (2018).
Deaths each year in England and Wales
Taking account of the population's size and age, the ONS age-standardised death rate was 2.0 per 100,000 people in 2025, 9.1% lower than in 2013 (2.2). For men it was 1.6 and for women 2.2.
Men accounted for 426 of the 2025 deaths and women for 812.
| Year | All | Men | Women | Age-standardised rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,238 | 426 | 812 | 2.0 |
| 2024 | 1,206 | 388 | 818 | 2.0 |
| 2023 | 1,279 | 414 | 865 | 2.1 |
| 2022 | 1,236 | 405 | 831 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | 1,146 | 390 | 756 | 2.0 |
| 2020 | 1,336 | 424 | 912 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 1,280 | 396 | 884 | 2.2 |
| 2018 | 1,422 | 436 | 986 | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 1,320 | 370 | 950 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | 1,237 | 394 | 843 | 2.3 |
| 2015 | 1,302 | 364 | 938 | 2.4 |
| 2014 | 1,114 | 345 | 769 | 2.1 |
| 2013 | 1,113 | 358 | 755 | 2.2 |
| 2012 | 1,126 | 327 | 799 | – |
| 2011 | 1,041 | 341 | 700 | – |
| 2010 | 1,022 | 270 | 752 | – |
| 2009 | 1,018 | 337 | 681 | – |
| 2008 | 1,071 | 322 | 749 | – |
| 2007 | 1,033 | 338 | 695 | – |
| 2006 | 1,082 | 309 | 773 | – |
| 2005 | 1,183 | 373 | 810 | – |
| 2004 | 1,264 | 460 | 804 | – |
| 2003 | 1,267 | 413 | 854 | – |
| 2002 | 1,276 | 460 | 816 | – |
| 2001 | 1,273 | 458 | 815 | – |
Age at death
Of the 1,238 deaths in 2025 with an age recorded, 72.0% were of people aged 75 or over; the largest number, 586, was in the 85 and over age group.
| Age | 2025: all | 2025: men | 2025: women | 2001: all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 24 |
| 15 to 44 | 55 | 34 | 21 | 120 |
| 45 to 64 | 149 | 58 | 91 | 262 |
| 65 to 74 | 131 | 58 | 73 | 249 |
| 75 to 84 | 305 | 116 | 189 | 319 |
| 85 and over | 586 | 153 | 433 | 299 |
Scotland
National Records of Scotland recorded 150 deaths from this cause in 2024 (43 men, 107 women). In 2011 the figure was 94.
| Year | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 150 | 43 | 107 |
| 2023 | 140 | 47 | 93 |
| 2022 | 111 | 38 | 73 |
| 2021 | 96 | 32 | 64 |
| 2020 | 113 | 37 | 76 |
| 2019 | 98 | 32 | 66 |
| 2018 | 114 | 34 | 80 |
| 2017 | 126 | 33 | 93 |
| 2016 | 133 | 41 | 92 |
| 2015 | 122 | 35 | 87 |
| 2014 | 72 | 20 | 52 |
| 2013 | 105 | 34 | 71 |
| 2012 | 89 | 20 | 69 |
| 2011 | 94 | 39 | 55 |
Northern Ireland
NISRA's Registrar General figures give 52 deaths from this cause registered in Northern Ireland in 2024, against 30 in 2014.
| Year | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 52 | 14 | 38 |
| 2023 | 47 | 15 | 32 |
| 2022 | 40 | 12 | 28 |
| 2021 | 35 | 13 | 22 |
| 2020 | 33 | 9 | 24 |
| 2019 | 42 | 12 | 30 |
| 2018 | 48 | 12 | 36 |
| 2017 | 38 | 14 | 24 |
| 2016 | 40 | 9 | 31 |
| 2015 | 44 | 8 | 36 |
| 2014 | 30 | 10 | 20 |
NHS figures for England
People on GP registers (England)
OHID's Fingertips tool gives “Asthma: QOF prevalence” (6+ yrs) as 6.56% in England for 2024/25, covering 3,944,639 patients. The first figure in the series, for 2020/21, was 6.38%.
| Period | Per cent | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 6.56% | 3,944,639 |
| 2023/24 | 6.53% | 3,886,879 |
| 2022/23 | 6.52% | 3,826,470 |
| 2021/22 | 6.47% | 3,745,077 |
| 2020/21 | 6.38% | 3,629,071 |
Source: OHID Fingertips, indicator 90933 (NHS England) · data read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256 2f7c9fb83eeb5852…
Hospital admissions (England)
OHID's Fingertips tool gives “Emergency hospital admissions for asthma in adults (aged 19 years and over)” (19+ yrs) as 79.5 per 100,000 in England for 2024/25, covering 39,384 admissions. The first figure in the series, for 2013/14, was 76.6 per 100,000.
| Period | per 100,000 | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 79.5 per 100,000 | 39,384 |
| 2023/24 | 84.5 per 100,000 | 41,368 |
| 2022/23 | 72.1 per 100,000 | 34,824 |
| 2021/22 | 66.5 per 100,000 | 31,831 |
| 2020/21 | 44.4 per 100,000 | 21,125 |
| 2019/20 | 95.9 per 100,000 | 44,820 |
| 2018/19 | 95.2 per 100,000 | 43,379 |
| 2017/18 | 90.2 per 100,000 | 40,884 |
| 2016/17 | 89.8 per 100,000 | 40,234 |
| 2015/16 | 86.0 per 100,000 | 38,208 |
| 2014/15 | 88.8 per 100,000 | 38,936 |
| 2013/14 | 76.6 per 100,000 | 33,409 |
Source: OHID Fingertips, indicator 93573 (OHID, based on NHS England data) · data read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256 7f1a2bb3743f2a61…
How the figures are defined
Each death is counted once, under its underlying cause: the disease or injury that started the chain of events leading to death, as certified by a doctor or coroner and coded by the ONS to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This page uses the ONS grouping “Asthma and status asthmaticus”, codes J45 to J46. Other conditions mentioned on a death certificate are not counted here.
How deaths are registered and counted, how the age-standardised rate works and where the ONS series has breaks is set out under how these figures are compiled.
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Sources and receipts
ONS mortality extracts for codes J45 to J46, with SHA-256 fingerprints; the ONS, NRS and NISRA workbooks are listed with the other sources.
- Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
46c48ddbac9e5289…· publisher's page - Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
69293ab6c27a226f…· publisher's page - Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
79b45f1c585cedc1…· publisher's page
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