For more than a century, the highest number of deaths has occurred in winter

In 2019, 613,000 people died in France. This is the highest number since the end of the Second World War. As it has been the case, for more than a century, mortality was higher in winter than in summer, despite a peak in deaths during episodes of high heat in June and July 2019. The influenza episode in early winter exacerbated the seasonal excess of deaths usually observed in winter.

In the mid-19th century, summer mortality was still high, probably due to the high infant mortality at this time of year. Thanks to medical progress, only the winter peak deaths has persisted, although it has been slightly reduced in recent decades.

Specific events can affect mortality statistics. Thus, apart from the military losses of the two world wars, some pandemics (1918, 1969) and the longest heat waves (1911, 1976, 1983 and especially 2003) have been particularly deadly.