European death toll from energy costs to outnumber that in Ukraine war
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A report published by The Economist says that more people will die due to cold in the continent than that of the people killed in Ukraine during the war.
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A protest against household energy price rises outside the offices of regulator Ofgem in Glasgow last August (Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Alamy).
According to research published by The Economist, the number of people that will die in Europe due to energy costs during this winter will be greater than the death toll of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Three main factors will impact the mortality rates in Europe this winter according to the research: Temperatures, the flu season, and the cost of energy.
The research said the current cost of energy will likely lead to an extra 147,000 deaths if there is a typical winter.
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In addition to the previously mentioned factors, the death toll will be influenced by household income, demography, and government spending.
The report expected an average of around 147,000 deaths in the countries in case of a typical winter season, about 79,000 if the temperature was a bit warmer and 185,000 deaths in the event that the temperature is equivalent to that of the coldest season each country had in the past two decades.
The Economist's statistics reveal that, of the total 49% mortality rate of people who are 80 and above in the EU, 28% of them die during the coldest months of winter.
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A 1-degree celsius drop in the temperature could correlate with an increased death rate of 1.2%, according to the statistics.
Italy is predicted to have the most deaths, owing to a nearly 200% rise in electricity costs since 2020 and a big aging population.
High fuel prices can exacerbate the effect of low temperatures on deaths, by deterring people from using heat and raising their exposure to cold.
According to recent estimations, around 25,000-30,000 troops were lost from each side in the war in Ukraine.
The number of soldiers thought to have died in Ukraine is estimated at 25,000-30,000 for each side.
