Today is a very special date because the Day of the Dead is commemorated, one of the most special dates in our country. It is a tradition that has lasted through generations and is even seen and respected abroad. His ultimate goal is to remember all beings that are no longer among us. That is why now is the time to analyze the main causes of death among Mexicans.
Comparison between the past and the present
In this sense, it is necessary to point out that the lifestyle has undergone a radical change over the years. In order not to go too far back, in 1950 the average Mexican lived 49.7 years. While at that time the majority of deaths, with 34.6 percent, were caused by infectious and parasitic diseases. The most frequent were influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis, measles and whooping cough.
For its part, there is currently a completely different panorama. Thanks to the development of innovative medicines, it has been possible to offer treatments against most of the aforementioned infections. Now life expectancy in Mexico is 75.3 years and even before the Covid-19 pandemic it showed an upward trend.
Now, the fact that you live longer does not necessarily mean that the quality is better. Among the main causes of death among Mexicans are preventable diseases and addictions such as obesity, smoking and alcoholism.
According to National Institute of Statistic and Geography (Inegi) there were a million 086 thousand 743 deaths registered during 2020. 58.8 percent were men, 41.1 percent women and in 757 cases the sex was not specified.
Causes of death among Mexicans
Of the total deaths, 92.4 percent were due to illnesses and health-related problems, while 7.6 percent were due to external causes, mainly accidents, homicides and suicides.
Due to health problems, the three main causes of death at the national level were heart disease (218 thousand 704), Covid-19 (200 thousand 256) and diabetes mellitus (151 thousand 019).
Of the total deaths registered due to illnesses and health-related problems, 88.6 percent did not undergo a necropsy, 1.1 percent did have the study applied, and in 10.3 percent of the cases it was not specified. For deaths generated by external causes (82,660), the autopsy was performed in 81.2 percent of the cases, 9.5 percent were not performed and 9.3 percent of the cases were not specified.
Of the total deaths registered in 2020, the months in which the highest number of deaths occurred were July with 11.10 percent (118 thousand 753) and December with 10.17 percent (108 thousand 770). While the months with the lowest occurrence were February with 5.90 percent (63 thousand 141) and March with 5.87 percent (62 thousand 821).
On the other hand, 46.6 percent (506 thousand 910) of the registered deaths took place at home and 43 percent (467 thousand 282) in public and private hospitals.