Eurostat: viral hepatitis deaths halved in the EU over 10 years, but Italy tops the list

Brussels – In 2023, 3,172 deaths from viral hepatitis were recorded in the European Union, the lowest figure since data collection began in 2011. More importantly, it represents a 9.3 per cent decrease from 2022 (3,499) and a 53.7 per cent decrease from 2013 (6,856). Italy, however, tops the rankings for the number of deaths, with 1.62 deaths per 100,000 people. The figures were released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office.

The disease has disproportionately affected men, who accounted for 58.3 per cent of all deaths from viral hepatitis. It has affected both older people and the working-age population. People under the age of 65 accounted for 35.7 per cent of hepatitis-related deaths, compared with 14.8 per cent of deaths from all causes.

At the EU level, viral hepatitis caused 0.64 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. The highest mortality rates were recorded in Italy (1.62 deaths per 100,000 people), Latvia (1.54), and Austria (1.02). The lowest rates were recorded in Luxembourg (no hepatitis deaths in 2023), Finland (0.07), and Slovenia (0.13).

An analysis of regional data shows that 15 regions recorded at least 1.5 deaths from viral hepatitis per 100,000 inhabitants: 10 regions in Italy (Campania, Puglia, Sardinia, Molise, Basilicata, Sicily, Calabria, Lombardy, Liguria, and Tuscany), two in France, and one each in Austria, Romania, and Latvia (treated as a single region at this level of analysis). The remote French regions, Mayotte and French Guiana, recorded the highest mortality rates, with 4.86 and 2.80 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. Next came the regions of southern Italy and the islands: Campania (2.65), Puglia (2.58), and Sardinia (2.48).