Mexico recorded 46 percent increase in death rate in 2020

Mexico recorded a 46 percent increase in the number of deaths in 2020, official figures showed Thursday.

The number of deaths reached 86 per 10,000 citizens last year, compared to 59 in 2019, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

The total death toll reached 1,086,743 in 2020 compared to 747,784 in 2019.

The Institute of Statistics said that "the increase in recorded deaths coincides with the start of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic."

COVID-19 was the second largest cause of death, with 200,256 deaths, after heart disease.

Mexico, with a high population density was one of the countries most affected by the pandemic.

The southeastern state of Quintana Roo, which includes the Riviera Maya tourist area, had the lowest death rate, at 59 per 10,000 people.

The country, which has 126 million people, announced an official death toll of more than 287,000, the fourth highest after the United States, Brazil and India. The peak of deaths was recorded during a second wave of the virus in early 2021.