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Original article

Vol. 155 No. 5 (2025)

Mortality atlas of the main causes of death for the elderly population (≥75 years) in Switzerland during 2010–2020

Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2025;155:3433
Published
12.05.2025

Summary

BACKGROUND: Mortality atlases provide insight into the health burdens a society is facing and help visualise them spatially. Here we estimate the geographical distribution of different mortality causes in the elderly population (≥75 years) in Switzerland. Knowledge of the spatial patterns enables better identification of high-risk areas for specific causes of death and potential risk factors, and can help guide policy, allocate resources and raise awareness in a more targeted manner.

METHODS: We analysed Swiss mortality data, provided by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, for the elderly population (≥75 years) for the period 2010–2020. We employed Bayesian spatial models for areal data to produce smoothed maps presenting the age- and sex-adjusted standardised mortality rates for the 25 main causes of death at the municipality level. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of language, urbanisation and income levels on cause-specific mortality.

RESULTS: Language regions are associated with mortality rates for many causes of death. In particular, the French-and Italian-speaking regions are associated with a lower burden of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes compared to German-speaking Switzerland, but this is offset by increased rates of certain cancers. In 2020, most COVID-19 deaths were concentrated in the French- and Italian-speaking regions. Higher income levels tend to be a protective factor for most causes of death.

CONCLUSIONS: We have provided the first model-based mortality maps focusing on the elderly population (≥75 years) in Switzerland. Our estimates identify areas with the highest cause-specific mortality rates and indicate potential health services that are needed in specific areas. The maps can also raise awareness of the most prominent health problems of the ageing population in different parts of the country and guide targeted health interventions.

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