Changes in quantitative and structural mortality indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, mortality increased and its structure changed worldwide due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much remains unclear about the impact of the pandemic on mortality parameters, including at the regional level.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate changes in quantitative and structural mortality rates in the context of the COVID–19 pandemic (using the Irkutsk Region as an example).

Materials and methods. The levels and structure of mortality in the Irkutsk region in 2010–2022 were analyzed. Mortality rates (by sex, age groups, and classes/groups of causes of death) were calculated using data from Federal State Statistics Service and the Demographic Research Center of the Russian Economic School. Standardized indicators were used in studies of mortality trend, and absolute data was used in the study of structures.

Results. The pandemic has interrupted the positive trend in the mortality reduction. In the Irkutsk region, the standardized mortality rate for men in 2021 increased by 25.1%, for women — by 40.6% compared to the level of 2019. The increase in mortality among men occurred by 80.0, 30.8 and 2.8% in the classes of respiratory, digestive and non–classified diseases, while among women it increased by 179.2, 37.3 and 10.9%. In 2021 the standardized mortality rates due to coronavirus infection were: 397.66⁰/₀₀₀₀ among men (42.9% higher than the average in the Russian Federation), 255.76⁰/₀₀₀₀ among women (25.8% higher). The increase in age-related mortality rates in 2020–2021 was found to occur starting from the group of the average working age (30–44 years), and at a rate increasing with increasing age.

Research limitations: population-based epidemiological study based on statistical data.

Conclusion. In the region, coronavirus infection has had an adverse impact on the course of various forms of somatic pathology, which has led to higher levels of overall mortality and mortality in certain classes and groups of diseases.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require a conclusion from the Local Ethics Committee.

Contribution of the authors:
Leshchenko Ya.A. — concept and design of research, collection and processing of material, writing, editing;
Lisovtsov A.A. — collection and processing of material, statistical data processing, writing, editing.
All co-authors are responsible for approving the final version of the article and ensuring the integrity of all parts of the article.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of any conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Received: March 26, 2025 / Revised: April 28, 2025 / Accepted: December 17, 2025 / Published: March 4, 2026