Statistics on deaths related to COVID-19

Frequently asked questions about deaths related to coronavirus

• Has coronavirus caused excess mortality in Finland?

  There is no single unambiguous indicator for assessing excess mortality.

  Excess mortality refers to a situation where, at some point in time, there are more deaths occurring than usual in a certain age group within a certain country or region and in proportion to the size of the population group.

  Excess mortality cannot be assessed by comparing the number of deaths with the figures for previous years, as the ageing demographic in Finland is in itself enough to cause an increase in the numbers of deaths each year. Between 1990 and 2010, there were around 50,000 deaths in Finland each year, but the ageing of the baby boomers meant that the figure exceeded 55,000 deaths in 2020. If age-specific mortality remains at the same level as before the pandemic (2015–2019), the annual number of deaths will exceed 70,000 within ten years. This increase does not therefore represent excess mortality, even though more deaths are occurring.

  The estimates of excess mortality in Finland for 2020 and 2021 vary within the 2000–4000 range. However, these estimates do not fully take into account changes in the age distribution of the population.

  The total size of the population affects the number of deaths. If we compare the number of deaths during the pandemic in proportion to the country’s population, only Norway and Iceland have seen fewer coronavirus-related deaths than Finland.

  The risk of death from coronavirus also increases rapidly with age. Therefore, when comparing the number of deaths in different countries, each country’s age structure must also be taken into account. In Norway, for example, the population is considerably younger, and the gap is only increasing because the Finnish population is ageing faster due to differences in birth rates and immigration. Differences between countries in current age structure and their rate of change can be taken into account using a method called age standardisation.

  Caution should also be taken in comparing differences between countries because practices may differ as to when a death is considered to be a coronavirus-related death.

• Why is the number of coronavirus deaths increasing despite the coronavirus vaccinations?

  The coronavirus vaccines are excellent at preventing serious coronavirus disease. If you get infected with coronavirus despite being vaccinated, the disease is likely to be milder than if you did not have the vaccine. 

  If a person is elderly or has multiple chronic diseases that weaken the body, these factors increase the risk of death from respiratory tract infections. As there are many elderly people in the Finnish population, deaths occur despite the vaccinations. If there are more coronavirus infections in the population, there will inevitably be more deaths. 

  Even vaccines cannot completely eliminate the risk of death, especially towards the end of a long life. However, the effectiveness of the vaccinations can be seen, for example, in the mortality data for January–April 2022, when coronavirus-related mortality was high. During that period, coronavirus mortality among those over 70 who had received at least three vaccine doses was more than 85% lower than among those of the same age who were not vaccinated. Age is clearly a key factor for the severity of coronavirus disease. The average age of those dying from coronavirus has been 84 years (81 for men and 87 for women).

  Only in slightly over 10% of cases has coronavirus been the only disease that contributed towards the patient’s death. In all other cases, at least one other disease has contributed towards their death.

• Why are more vaccinated people dying than unvaccinated people?

  In Finland, the coverage of coronavirus vaccinations in the population is high. This means that the majority of the population is already vaccinated. There are more vaccinated people dying than unvaccinated people because there are many more of them in the population. Particularly among the elderly, the number of unvaccinated people is very low.

  Although vaccinated people have a significantly lower risk of dying from coronavirus than those who are not vaccinated, the absolute number of deaths may be higher among vaccinated people because there are many more of them. When measured as a proportion of the population group as a whole, we can see that coronavirus disease leads to death more often among unvaccinated people than among vaccinated people.

  In addition to considering the total size of the two population groups, any comparison between vaccinated and unvaccinated people must also take into account the fact that vaccinated people are on average older than unvaccinated people and thus are at higher risk of dying from coronavirus. To obtain an accurate assessment, comparison must be made between vaccinated and unvaccinated persons of the same age.

•  How many deaths have been prevented by the vaccines?

  Thanks to the vaccinations, an ever smaller proportion of people with coronavirus end up dying.

  According to a preliminary analysis by THL, more than 7,300 deaths due to COVID-19 were prevented by coronavirus vaccines between 27 December 2020 and 31 March 2022. The number of prevented deaths was more than three times higher than the number of COVID-19 deaths, which was 1,753 during the observation period.

  Vaccines prevented deaths in particular in people over the age of 70 and other risk groups. The risk of an unvaccinated person dying from coronavirus disease is many times higher than that of a vaccinated person.

  Read more: Coronavirus vaccines prevented around 7,300 deaths due to COVID-19 in Finland by the end of March 2022 (press release 16.1.2023)

  Effectiveness of coronavirus vaccinations in Finland

• Have the coronavirus vaccines caused deaths?

  Fimea publishes on its website information about the suspected adverse reactions to coronavirus vaccines that have been reported in Finland. All vaccines, just like all medicines, have potential adverse effects. Most of them are mild and transient.

  As of 27 March 2023, 13,207,055 doses of coronavirus vaccine has been administered in Finland. Fimea has received 21 039 reports of adverse reactions. The adverse reaction reports reflect the observations and opinions of the person making the report and do not mean that there is a confirmed link between the vaccine and the observed adverse effects.

  As of 13 March 2023, Fimea had received 187 reports of adverse reactions from coronavirus vaccinations that led to the patient’s death. Of those cases reported to Fimea in which the patient is reported to have died and a death certificate is available, there are less than five cases in which the person is suspected to have died of the harm caused by the coronavirus vaccine. In addition to these, there are 15 cases in which the coronavirus vaccine is assessed to have contributed to the person’s death. In all other cases, the person was considered to have died for other reasons, with the vaccine not contributing towards their death. Some of the reports do not indicate the cause of death.

  In cases of death, an adverse reaction report does prove a causal relationship between the vaccine and the person’s death.

  Reports of adverse reactions to coronavirus vaccines (fimea.fi)

  Monitoring the safety of coronavirus vaccines at THL: Mortality has not increased after vaccination

  Total number of coronavirus vaccine doses administered and vaccine coverage (in Finnish)

  Safety of coronavirus vaccines and possible adverse reactions