The coronavirus pandemic saw more men than women die in 2020 for the first time since 1981, figures have revealed.
Raw figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, showed that 308,069 men died in England and Wales last year compared to 299,853 women.
The sharp rise in male death rates comes as it was also revealed that England and Wales recorded more deaths last year during the coronavirus pandemic than at anytime since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918.
Prior to 1981, women accounted for a greater proportion of the death toll due to two key factors - women have a higher life expectancy than men and there are more women than men.
Raw figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that 308,069 men died in England and Wales last year compared to 299,853 women. Pictured: The National Covid memorial wall
However the latest figures show that of the 73,766 coronavirus-registered deaths last year, 40,995 (55.6 per cent) were men.
The statistics showed that the Covid pandemic saw 8,216 more men die than women last year and coronavirus was the cause of death for 13.3 per cent of men but just 10.9 per cent of women.
It comes as separate figures from the ONS showed England and Wales recorded more deaths last year during the coronavirus pandemic than at anytime since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918.
There were a total of 607,922 deaths in England and Wales last
