Mexico saw a 46 per cent jump in its mortality rate in 2020 as the coronavirus fueled a sharp increase in the number of people dying, official figures showed.

There were 86 deaths per 10,000 inhabitants last year, compared with 59 in 2019, the national statistics institute INEGI reported, according to AFP.

The total number of deaths shot up to 1,086,743 in 2020, from 747,784 in 2019.

“The increase in registered deaths coincides with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic,” INEGI said.