During the course of 2020, 8,415 more people died than in 2019, a rise of 12.4%, according to statistics published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office.
The rise in year-on-year deaths is broadly in line with various Covid-19 death estimates for Switzerland in 2020. The official toll is 7,606. However, others have calculated Swiss Covid-19 deaths of 7,882 and 10,544 for the year.
Federal Statistical Office data show steeper rises in some of the cantons hardest hit by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The cantons of Ticino (+25.6%), Geneva (+27.0%), Jura (+26.6%), Fribourg (+21.8%) and Vaud (+22.8%) all saw deaths rise by more than the Swiss-wide average of 12.4% and all had higher than average rates of Covid-19 cases.
At the same time there were a few cantons that bucked this trend. Valais (+13.0%) and Neuchâtel (+13.8%) had high recorded rates of Covid-19 but had only average rises in overall deaths. In addition, Schwytz (+22.9%) and Obwalden (23.3%) both had higher than average rises in deaths but moderate levels of recorded Covid-19 cases.
In 2020, deaths rose more for men (+13.7%) than for women (+9.3%) and more for those over 80 (+15.4%) than those between 60 and 81 (+9.1%). Deaths among those in their 50s rose by 3.1% in 2020.
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