Spain sees 74,227 more deaths in 2020 amid pandemic

MADRID. KAZINFORM Spain's total number of deaths hit 492,930 in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, up by 74,227, or 17.7 percent, from 2019, according to data published Thursday by the country's National Statistics Institute.

In terms of months, the highest increases coincided with the first and second waves of the pandemic, reaching 56.8 percent in March and 78.2 percent in April as the first wave hit Spain, and 21 percent in October and 21.6 percent in November during the second wave, data showed, Xinhua reports.

All 17 autonomous communities of Spain saw more deaths in the past year, with Madrid registering the highest increase of 41.2 percent. Madrid's Regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso has been against strict lockdown measures.

Following Madrid were Castilla-La Mancha with 32.3 percent, Castilla-Leon with 26 percent, and Catalonia with 23.5 percent, it showed.

Due to more deaths, Spain's life expectancy fell by 1.24 years to an average of 82.34 years, it showed.

Meanwhile, the number of births in Spain was 339,206 in 2020, down by 5.9 percent. The largest monthly decrease came in December, with 21.5 percent, nine months after the country imposed a national lockdown, it showed.