More people died in Greater Manchester last year than in 2021, data shows - here’s what the figures show

The latest mortality figures show there were more deaths registered in Greater Manchester in 2022 than in the previous year.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows an increase in the number of deaths recorded in the city-region last year. Nationally, meanwhile, Covid-19 was no longer a leading cause of death, with dementia or Alzheimer’s responsible for the highest number of people losing their lives.

A leading charity said the figures were “a stark reminder” of the impact dementia is having on society. The ONS, meanwhile, said the change in the leading cause of the death for the first time since the novel coronavirus pandemic began was “significant”.

What do the statistics show for Greater Manchester?

The ONS data shows 27,147 total deaths were registered in Greater Manchester in 2022 – up from 26,895 the year before.

In 2019, 24,517 deaths were registered, while this rose to 29,412 in 2020, the highest figure during the pandemic.

The city-region trend was not mirrored exactly in boroughs across the area, though. Manchester had 3,688 deaths registered, down from 3,878 the year before. In fact there were fewer deaths than at any time since the start of the pandemic, though the figure for 2019 was lower.

However, in areas including Salford, Stockport and Tameside there were more deaths registered in 2022 than in 2021.

Some 292,064 male deaths were registered in England and Wales last year, compared with 285,096 female deaths.

What does the data say about causes of death?

The ONS figures show coronavirus dropped out of the top five causes of death across England and Wales. Nationally, coronavirus accounted for 12.1% and 11.5% of all registered deaths in 2020 and 2021 respectively, but this dropped to just 3.9% in 2022, making it the sixth-highest cause of death.

The decline has been attributed to the vaccination programme, with jabs first being rolled out across the country in early 2021 and booster doses subsequently being made available to older and more vulnerable population groups.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease led the way, accounting for 65,967 deaths (11.4%), up from 61,250 (10.4%) in 2021.

Alzheimer’s Research UK described the figures as “a stark reminder of the terrible and far-reaching effects of dementia on our society”.

Samantha Benham-Hermetz, director of policy and public affairs at the research charity, said: “Our most recent survey showed that two in 10 people are unaware that dementia is even a cause of death, yet last year it claimed nearly 66,000 lives in England and Wales alone.

“Despite its devastating impact, and in contrast with other leading causes of death like heart disease or cancer, there are still no treatments available on the NHS that can slow or stop it.

“As the impact of the pandemic recedes, we must learn from the lessons of Covid-19 and speed up progress in finding new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent dementia.”

Sarah Caul, ONS head of mortality analysis, said the figures represent a “significant change” in the leading causes of death since the beginning of the pandemic.

“For the third year in a row, we’ve seen more males than females dying, a reversal of the trend since the 1980s,” she added.