Meningitis deaths in the UK
ONS figures give 149 deaths from Meningococcal infection and meningitis (ICD-10 A39, G00 to G03) registered in England and Wales in 2025. That was 3 more than in 2024 (146). The highest yearly figure since 2001 was 384 in 2001; the lowest was 89 in 2021.
Deaths each year in England and Wales
Taking account of the population's size and age, the ONS age-standardised death rate was 0.2 per 100,000 people in 2025, 33.3% lower than in 2013 (0.3). For men it was 0.3 and for women 0.2.
In 2025, 87 of the deaths were of men and 62 of women.
| Year | All | Men | Women | Age-standardised rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 149 | 87 | 62 | 0.2 |
| 2024 | 146 | 74 | 72 | 0.2 |
| 2023 | 174 | 98 | 76 | 0.3 |
| 2022 | 113 | 61 | 52 | 0.2 |
| 2021 | 89 | 42 | 47 | 0.2 |
| 2020 | 120 | 68 | 52 | 0.2 |
| 2019 | 184 | 103 | 81 | 0.3 |
| 2018 | 212 | 116 | 96 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | 203 | 116 | 87 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | 210 | 103 | 107 | 0.4 |
| 2015 | 220 | 119 | 101 | 0.4 |
| 2014 | 194 | 104 | 90 | 0.4 |
| 2013 | 192 | 92 | 100 | 0.3 |
| 2012 | 157 | 85 | 72 | – |
| 2011 | 213 | 116 | 97 | – |
| 2010 | 206 | 94 | 112 | – |
| 2009 | 221 | 119 | 102 | – |
| 2008 | 236 | 129 | 107 | – |
| 2007 | 239 | 121 | 118 | – |
| 2006 | 216 | 104 | 112 | – |
| 2005 | 279 | 160 | 119 | – |
| 2004 | 261 | 134 | 127 | – |
| 2003 | 341 | 179 | 162 | – |
| 2002 | 291 | 150 | 141 | – |
| 2001 | 384 | 209 | 175 | – |
Age at death
Of the 149 deaths in 2025 with an age recorded, 23.5% were of people aged 75 or over; the largest number, 44, was in the 45 to 64 age group.
| Age | 2025: all | 2025: men | 2025: women | 2001: all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 115 |
| 15 to 44 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 91 |
| 45 to 64 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 80 |
| 65 to 74 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 31 |
| 75 to 84 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 46 |
| 85 and over | 11 | 6 | 5 | 21 |
Scotland
National Records of Scotland recorded 22 deaths from this cause in 2024 (11 men, 11 women). In 2011 the figure was 14.
| Year | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 22 | 11 | 11 |
| 2023 | 19 | 10 | 9 |
| 2022 | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| 2021 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 2020 | 14 | 5 | 9 |
| 2019 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 2018 | 25 | 17 | 8 |
| 2017 | 20 | 11 | 9 |
| 2016 | 18 | 10 | 8 |
| 2015 | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| 2014 | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| 2013 | 19 | 12 | 7 |
| 2012 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 2011 | 14 | 7 | 7 |
Northern Ireland
NISRA's Registrar General figures give 5 deaths from this cause registered in Northern Ireland in 2024, against 3 in 2014.
| Year | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | 12 | 7 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2017 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| 2015 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2014 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
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 “Meningococcal infection and meningitis”, codes A39, G00 to G03. Other conditions mentioned on a death certificate are not counted here.
Registration dates, the deaths left out, the age-standardised rate and the ONS's coding changes are explained under how these figures are compiled.
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More in other conditions
Sources and receipts
ONS mortality extracts for codes A39, G00 to G03, 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
d09c6b7918428dc4…· publisher's page - Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
6066204a46cb50dc…· publisher's page - Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age (NM_161_1)Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
cb9423830ca3f73c…· publisher's page
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