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Comparative Study
. 2025 Jul;53(5):456-464.
doi: 10.1177/14034948241253339. Epub 2024 Jun 10.

The aftermath of COVID-19: Mortality impact of the pandemic on older persons in Sweden and other Nordic countries, 2020-2023

Bo Burström  1 , Örjan Hemström  2 , Megan Doheny  1   3 , Janne Agerholm  1   3 , Ann Liljas  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The aftermath of COVID-19: Mortality impact of the pandemic on older persons in Sweden and other Nordic countries, 2020-2023

Bo Burström et al. Scand J Public Health. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic hit Sweden harder than the other Nordic countries in the early phase, especially among older persons. We compared the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality especially among older persons during the period 2020-2022 in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, using four different outcome measures.

Methods: We compared publicly available information on reported cases and deaths in COVID-19 from the World Health Organization COVID-19 Dashboard, age-specific mortality rates, life expectancy at age 65 years and excess mortality from Nordic Statistics database and national statistics and health agencies in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

Results: The pandemic peaked earlier in Sweden than in Denmark, Finland and Norway, where cases and deaths increased more during 2021 and 2022, also reflected in age-specific death rates among persons aged 70+ years. COVID-19 mortality was highest in Sweden, followed by Finland, Denmark and Norway. Life expectancy declined during 2020 in Sweden but more during 2021 and 2022 in Denmark, Finland and Norway. Excess mortality during 2020-2022 was nearly twice as high in Finland as in the other countries.

Conclusions: COVID-19 mortality was higher in Sweden than in Denmark, Finland and Norway. Life expectancy declined during 2020 in Sweden, was partly regained in 2021 and 2022, while it declined during 2021 and 2022 in Denmark, Norway and Finland. However, excess mortality during 2020-2022 was similar in Sweden, Denmark and Norway and twice as high in Finland. Different mortality outcomes reflect the complexity of the mortality impact of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Nordic countries; mortality; older people.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
COVID-19 cases and deaths over time, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Source: WHO COVID-19 Dashboard, accessed 5 February 2024. WHO: World Health Organization
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Remaining life expectancy at age 65 years in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, 2005–2022, and projected trend based on the increase in the 15-year period 2005–2019. Source: Nordic Statistics database.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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