Sepsis deaths in the UK
The Office for National Statistics recorded 4,330 deaths in England and Wales in 2025 where the underlying cause was Septicaemia (ICD-10 A40 to A41). That was 42 fewer than in 2024 (4,372). The highest yearly figure since 2001 was 4,372 in 2024; the lowest was 1,755 in 2020.
Deaths each year in England and Wales
Taking account of the population's size and age, the ONS age-standardised death rate was 6.9 per 100,000 people in 2025, 64.3% higher than in 2013 (4.2). For men it was 7.3 and for women 6.5.
In 2025, 1,946 of the deaths were of men and 2,384 of women.
| Year | All | Men | Women | Age-standardised rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,330 | 1,946 | 2,384 | 6.9 |
| 2024 | 4,372 | 1,978 | 2,394 | 7.0 |
| 2023 | 4,260 | 1,875 | 2,385 | 7.1 |
| 2022 | 3,761 | 1,619 | 2,142 | 6.4 |
| 2021 | 2,897 | 1,198 | 1,699 | 5.0 |
| 2020 | 1,755 | 754 | 1,001 | 3.1 |
| 2019 | 2,453 | 1,103 | 1,350 | 4.3 |
| 2018 | 2,713 | 1,226 | 1,487 | 4.9 |
| 2017 | 2,595 | 1,135 | 1,460 | 4.7 |
| 2016 | 2,844 | 1,229 | 1,615 | 5.2 |
| 2015 | 2,754 | 1,202 | 1,552 | 5.2 |
| 2014 | 2,337 | 994 | 1,343 | 4.4 |
| 2013 | 2,140 | 879 | 1,261 | 4.2 |
| 2012 | 2,005 | 830 | 1,175 | – |
| 2011 | 2,107 | 869 | 1,238 | – |
| 2010 | 2,130 | 907 | 1,223 | – |
| 2009 | 2,238 | 972 | 1,266 | – |
| 2008 | 2,154 | 943 | 1,211 | – |
| 2007 | 2,315 | 1,004 | 1,311 | – |
| 2006 | 2,377 | 1,056 | 1,321 | – |
| 2005 | 2,349 | 1,012 | 1,337 | – |
| 2004 | 2,148 | 927 | 1,221 | – |
| 2003 | 2,018 | 921 | 1,097 | – |
| 2002 | 1,933 | 862 | 1,071 | – |
| 2001 | 1,798 | 811 | 987 | – |
Age at death
Of the 4,330 deaths in 2025 with an age recorded, 81.4% were of people aged 75 or over; the largest number, 2,103, was in the 85 and over age group.
| Age | 2025: all | 2025: men | 2025: women | 2001: all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 57 |
| 15 to 44 | 38 | 24 | 14 | 81 |
| 45 to 64 | 276 | 141 | 135 | 191 |
| 65 to 74 | 474 | 240 | 234 | 303 |
| 75 to 84 | 1,421 | 701 | 720 | 633 |
| 85 and over | 2,103 | 832 | 1,271 | 533 |
Scotland
National Records of Scotland recorded 346 deaths from this cause in 2024 (153 men, 193 women).
Northern Ireland
NISRA's Registrar General figures give 76 deaths from this cause registered in Northern Ireland in 2024, against 67 in 2014.
| Year | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 76 | 45 | 31 |
| 2023 | 63 | 23 | 40 |
| 2022 | 69 | 20 | 49 |
| 2021 | 54 | 22 | 32 |
| 2020 | 64 | 25 | 39 |
| 2019 | 108 | 50 | 58 |
| 2018 | 101 | 47 | 54 |
| 2017 | 118 | 49 | 69 |
| 2016 | 88 | 34 | 54 |
| 2015 | 93 | 34 | 59 |
| 2014 | 67 | 27 | 40 |
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 “Septicaemia”, codes A40 to A41. 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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More in other conditions
Sources and receipts
ONS mortality extracts for codes A40 to A41, 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
1b8615d403b1044a…· publisher's page
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