Three additional studies highlight a further decline in mortality in 2024, despite an increase in that due to respiratory diseases. Furthermore, we note that a third of deaths are associated with comorbidities or medical history. Arterial hypertension, rhythm and conduction disorders, diabetes mellitus and tumors constitute the most common associated causes, all ages combined. Communiqué.
The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees), Inserm via its Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes of Death (CépiDc-Inserm) and Public Health France are analyzing the medical causes of death of residents and deaths in France in 2024. Three additional studies are published jointly (see box): a Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (Public Health France) and two Studies and Results (Drees). They are based on the national statistics of causes of death produced by Inserm (CépiDc) based on the exhaustive collection of the medical aspects of death certificates, their coding and their analysis. A complementary data set is released that same day on the Drees website.
Among the population residing in France, 641,046 people died in 2024 in the territory, i.e. 4,000 more deaths than in 2023. On the other hand, the standardized mortality rate (777.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), which takes into account the aging of the population, decreases by 11 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 2023. This reduction is less marked than that observed between 2022 and 2023. The standardized mortality rate in 2024 is at a lower level than that of 2019. However, mortality in France remains higher to that which was expected if the downward trend observed before the Covid-19 pandemic had continued until 2024.
The drop in mortality due to Covid-19 partly erased by the increase in that of respiratory diseases
The reduction in mortality in 2024, from all causes, is driven by that in mortality due to Covid-19 of 7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants compared to 2023. Smaller reductions are also observed for mortality due to poorly defined symptoms and morbid conditions, cardio-neurovascular diseases and tumors.
On the other hand, mortality due to diseases of the respiratory system (excluding Covid-19) increases compared to 2023 by 5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, driven by the increase in flu and pneumonia. Furthermore, there is an increase in mortality due to infectious diseases. particularly septicemia, as well as an increasing trend since 2019 in infections of the genitourinary system.
Tumors, leading cause of death in both men and women, ahead of cardio-neurovascular diseases
In 2024, tumors, mainly cancers, the leading cause of death, in both men and women, will account for more than a quarter of deaths (27.1%).. They concern people on average younger than those for all causes combined. Mortality from tumors continues to decline, with the exception of that of the pancreas, which is trending upward, and those of the lung, bronchi and trachea in women.
Cardio-neurovascular diseases (such as myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure) caused more than a fifth of deaths (21.2%). They rare the second cause of death, despite a slight decline compared to the previous year.
Furthermore, mortality rates due to endocrine, nutritional and metabolic, cardio-neurovascular, digestive and genitourinary diseases remain higher in 2024 than the continuation of pre-pandemic trends.
In 2025, according to a still provisional estimate, the mortality rates from tumors and cardio-neurovascular diseases would decline slightly. On the other hand, the number of deaths due to these diseases would be stable or increasing due to the arrival of the baby boom generation at advanced ages.
More than a fifth of deaths have an unclear or unknown cause
Among all deaths, 4.8% have an unknown cause and 16.5% have an insufficiently precise initial cause. These imprecise causes include respiratory arrest, senility, heart failure or even septicemia without specifying their starting point. Taking into account differences in mortality by age, it is the initial causes of women and the causes of deaths occurring at home which are more often imprecise.
A third of deaths are associated with comorbidities or medical history in 2024
Beyond the initial cause behind the process that led to death, 32% of certificates also contain at least one associated cause of death. The latter correspond to comorbidities, which are risk factors or aggravation of the initial cause, with an average of 2.2 associated causes per certificate.
All ages combined, high blood pressure, cardiac rhythm and conduction disorders, diabetes mellitus and tumors constitute the most common associated causes. The number of mentions of associated causes increases with age. Likewise, the order of the most frequent associated causes changes according to age groups. Thus, high blood pressure is the most common associated cause in people aged 65 or over, while it comes in 4th position among those under 65, behind tumors, alcohol and tobacco.
Taking them into account in addition to the initial cause provides a better measurement of the impact of chronic diseases and medical history, underestimated by the initial cause.
Trois études complémentaires, pour mieux documenter les causes de décès en 2024 et leurs évolutionsLes articles dans le BEH et Etudes et Résultats décrivent les grandes causes de décès en 2024 et leurs évolutions en comparaison à la période pré-pandémique. La première publication Études et Résultats fournit également les premières estimations de mortalité en 2025. La seconde donne la fréquence d’apparition des causes associées sur les certificats de décès. Enfin, l’article BEH décrit les différentes causes associées en 2024.
-Godet F, Costemalle V, Aubineau Y, Fouillet A. « Causes de décès en France - nouvelle baisse de la mortalité en 2024 malgré une hausse de celle due aux maladies respiratoires- », Etudes et Résultats. 2026 (1375),1-7.
-Fouillet A, Aubineau Y, Méthy N, Costemalle V, Chaput H. Grandes causes de mortalité et principales causes associées en France en 2024. Bull Épidémiol Hebd. 2026;(15):326-52.
-Godet F, Costemalle V, Fouillet A, Aubineau Y, Chaput H, Méthy N. « Causes de décès en France - Un tiers des décès sont associés à des comorbidités ou à des antécédents médicaux en 2024 », Etudes et Résultats. 2026 (1376):1-4
