Autopsy rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Autopsy rate was 15.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Autopsy rate in United Kingdom, 1980–2020
Source: Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 15.6% for autopsy rate in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, autopsy rate in United Kingdom peaked at 27.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2019.
That places United Kingdom 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.8% | 23.2% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.0% | 21.2% | 23.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 15.5% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.6% | 15.6% | 15.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
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- Winter temperature anomalies 1.74 °C (2025)
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Frequently asked questions
- What is autopsy rate in United Kingdom?
- Autopsy rate in United Kingdom was 15.6% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 27.0% in 1980.
- What is the lowest autopsy rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom rank for autopsy rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2020.
- Is autopsy rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.