According to recently published provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of deaths recorded in April 2017 reached 39,071. Compared to March, this figure represents a fall of 9,544 deaths, and, in comparison to April last year, a decrease of 7,860 deaths.
When looking at the statistics, it’s important to note the impact of weekends and moveable public holidays during the relevant month. As registry offices are closed on these days, a death may have to be registered in the following month if it falls on a Saturday for example. The frequency of bank holidays and weekends should be taken into account when comparing the statistics in past months as well as annually correspondent ones; April 2017 had 5 weekends, as well as Easter, meaning that the number of days available to register deaths was limited. Last year, however, Easter did not occur in April and the month only had 4 weekends.
During April, the majority of deaths were registered in the South East, with the provisional figure reaching 5,937. In comparison to March 2017, however, this is a fall of 1,462. The North West closely followed, with registered deaths totalling 5,458. This represents a monthly decrease of 969 in terms of the deaths registered.
At the other end of the scale, the region with the lowest number of deaths registered was the North East, with a total of 2,040. Compared to March 2017, the number of registered deaths has fallen by 504. Ranking just ahead was Wales, where 2,600 deaths were registered during April. In comparison to the figures from the previous month, the number of registered deaths fell by 381.
