Autopsy rate in Finland

Finland: Autopsy rate was 18.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
18.2%
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
7th
of 39 countries
All-time high
38.3%
in 1973
All-time low
18.2%
in 2020
Years of data
51
1970–2020

Autopsy rate in Finland, 1970–2020

010203040197019952020

Source: Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for autopsy rate in Finland is 18.2%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, autopsy rate in Finland peaked at 38.3% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 18.2%, in 2020.

Finland ranks 7th of 39 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 36.0% 32.6% 38.3% 10
1980s 36.1% 34.2% 38.0% 10
1990s 31.3% 29.6% 33.7% 10
2000s 31.1% 29.9% 32.5% 10
2010s 23.0% 18.6% 29.8% 10
2020s 18.2% 18.2% 18.2% 1

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 4 Kazakhstan 29.1% compare
  2. 5 Moldova 24.7% compare
  3. 6 Hungary 22.0% compare
  4. 9 Estonia 17.3% compare
  5. 10 United Kingdom 15.6% compare

See the full ranking of 39 places →

More reference data data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is autopsy rate in Finland?
Autopsy rate in Finland was 18.2% in 2020, according to Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest autopsy rate recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 38.3% in 1973.
What is the lowest autopsy rate recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 18.2% in 2020.
How does Finland rank for autopsy rate?
Finland ranks 7th out of 39 countries with data for 2020.
Is autopsy rate rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Finland data come from?
The figures come from Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Autopsy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Autopsy rate
Unit
%
Source
Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
39 places, 1,121 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

The share of all deaths for which an autopsy was performed. Autopsies may be used to determine the cause of sudden deaths; when there is a lack of doctors and nurses, medical records, or death certificate training; or for other legal or cultural reasons.