Mean and Median age of deaths from COVID-19

You asked

Could I please ask for the average (mean and median) age of death for:

1. People whose death involved COVID-19 at any point since the beginning of the pandemic.
2. People whose death had COVID-19 as the underlying cause at any point since the beginning of the pandemic.
3. People whose death did not mention COVID-19 on the death certificate from 1 March 2020 to 1 March 2021 (or the nearest dates depending on whichever periods death registrations are recorded by).
4. People who died in 2019.

We said

Thank you for your enquiry.

We have available the following ad hoc analysis showing the average age of those who have died 'due to' and 'involving' COVID-19 for specific periods:

Due to COVID-19

The following publication provides the mean and median ages of those dying 'due to' COVID-19 between the week ending 9 October 2020 and the week ending 1 January 2021: Average age of death (median and mean) of persons whose death was due to COVID-19 or involved COVID-19, by sex, deaths registered in week ending 9 October 2020 to week ending 1 January 2021, England and Wales

Involving COVID-19

Average age of persons whose death involved COVID-19, by sex, England and Wales: weeks ending 8 January to 19 February 2021

Average age of death (mean) of persons from all causes and those involving COVID-19 by sex: deaths registered from week ending 13 March up to week ending 4 December 2020, England and Wales

Deaths registered with causes not involving COVID-19 from March 2020 – March 2021:

Unfortunately, we would be unable to provide you with mean and median average age of death for deaths not involving COVID-19 in 2020. In order to fulfil this request, we would need to create bespoke analysis. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Public Authorities are not obligated to create information in order to respond to requests. We therefore consider this to be information not held.

Mean and Median average age of death for 2019:

Average age of death is available in our Average age at death, by sex, UK publication. This provides mean, median and modal ages at death in the UK and its constituent countries, 2001 to 2003 and 2017 to 2018

Mean average age of death for 2019 is available within our Life expectancy for local areas of the UK: 2001 to 2003 and 2017 to 2019 publication.

Median average age will be due in the next release which will be published in September 2021.

As such, the information you have requested is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest.  This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.