| Increase in the number of deaths reported to coroners in 2022 | 208,400 deaths were reported to coroners in 2022, the highest level since 2019 – up 7% (13,300) compared to 2021. |
| 36% of all registered deaths were reported to coroners in 2022 | The proportion of registered deaths in England and Wales reported to coroners is at the highest level since 2019. |
| Deaths in state detention, down 8% in the last year | 534 deaths in state detention were reported to coroners in 2022 (down from 580 in 2021), the decrease was driven by a 20% fall in deaths in prison custody. |
| Post-mortem examinations were carried out on 43% of all deaths reported in 2022 | There were 90,200 post-mortem examinations ordered by coroners in 2022, a 7% rise compared to 2021. The proportion of reported deaths requiring a post-mortem has remained stable over the same period. |
| 11% more inquests opened in 2022 | 36,300 inquests were opened in 2022, up 11% compared to 2021. |
| Inquest conclusions up 10%, the largest rise seen in natural causes, accident/misadventure and unclassified conclusions | In 2022, 35,600 inquest conclusions were recorded in total, up 10% on 2021. Natural causes, accident/misadventure and unclassified conclusions had the largest increases, up 40%, 14% and 7% on 2021, to 5,100, 8,800 and 8,700 inquest conclusions in 2022 respectively. |
| Average time taken to complete an inquest fell by less than one week | The estimated average time taken to process an inquest decreased from 31 weeks in 2021 to 30 weeks in 2022. |
| Prevention of Future Deaths reports down by 8% | 403 Prevention of Future Deaths reports were issued in 2022, a decrease of 8% compared to 2021. |
This annual publication presents statistics of deaths reported to Coroners in England and Wales in 2022. Information is provided on the number of deaths reported to coroners, post-mortem examinations and inquests held, and conclusions recorded at inquests.
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