What are excess deaths?

Excess deaths are the difference between the number of deaths registered and the number that would be expected for that time of year, given the size and age of the population. The ONS publishes them weekly for England and Wales in its weekly deaths dashboard, which replaced the weekly bulletin in July 2025.

The result depends on how "expected" deaths are estimated. In February 2024 the ONS and the other UK statistics bodies moved to a new method that models trends in population and mortality rather than using a simple five-year average, which changed earlier estimates. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities ran a separate England analysis that is no longer updated.

Weekly figures are provisional and affected by bank holidays and registration delays, so a single week rarely settles a claim. Check the method, the period and whether figures are by registration or occurrence date.

Official sources: ONS weekly deaths dashboard · ONS excess deaths methodology changes

The latest figure

The newest value is at Office for National Statistics (ONS). More on it: Deaths registered in England and Wales.

When is the next figure out?

Annual. A first summary (Death registration summary statistics) appears in late May and the full release in the autumn; the 2025 full release was published on 25 September 2026. The .xlsx file name changes each year

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

• Crude rate
  A rate calculated by dividing events by the whole population, with no adjustment for differences in age structure between places or over time.
• Age-standardised rate
  A rate adjusted to a standard population age structure, so that places or years with older or younger populations can be compared fairly.
• Rate per 100,000
  The number of events divided by the population and multiplied by 100,000, so areas of different sizes can be compared on a like-for-like basis.
• Calendar year
  January to December. Used for GDP annual totals, registered deaths and many international comparisons, unlike the April to March financial year.
• Administrative data
  Information collected by organisations while running a service, such as tax records, benefit claims or hospital activity, and then used to produce statistics.

Where the figures come from

• UK deaths, life expectancy and public health statistics (ONS, OHID, UKHSA, NRS, NISRA)
  Where to find official UK figures on deaths, excess deaths, life expectancy, causes of death, suicide, drug and alcohol deaths and vaccination.

Related questions

• How many people die in the UK each year?
• How many Covid deaths were there in the UK?
• What is the life expectancy in the UK?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about deaths, life expectancy and public health: all Deaths, life expectancy and public health questions.