The Paradox of Pandemic Mortality: How Finland and Iceland’s Early Success May Have Led to Later Struggles, and What It Means for Public Health

In Finland and Iceland, there was lower mortality rates at the beginning of the pandemic, which may have resulted in higher mortality rates later on. Recent statistics from Eurostat show that life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels in more than 18 countries in the European Union, with Finland being one of the seven countries where this has not yet occurred.

In Finland, life expectancy was still 0.4 years shorter than in 2019 due to a high number of elderly deaths during the corona wave in November-December. However, there has been improvement in life expectancy from the worst corona year in 2022, with mortality rates appearing to fall to pre-corona levels in the current year. On the contrary, Iceland experienced under-mortality in 2020 due to effectively closing itself off at the beginning of the pandemic, resulting in significantly decreased mortality rates among people over 70. This under-mortality may contribute to over-mortality in 2022 and 2023, according to experts.

Overall, the rapid aging of Finland’s population and the impact of corona mortality on elderly individuals are significant factors affecting mortality rates. Life expectancy is an important indicator used to compare population mortality rates in different periods, considering age structure. The impact of corona deaths on life expectancy is more pronounced among younger individuals, but significant numbers of elderly deaths can also influence overall life expectancy. While life expectancy has increased in some countries since the start of the pandemic, there are variations across different regions, with Western Europeans generally living longer on average than residents of Eastern European countries. The impact of corona mortality on different age groups and populations continues to be studied and monitored to understand the long-term effects of the pandemic on public health.