CHEYENNE (WNE) — Fewer deaths and births were recorded among Wyoming residents in 2022 than the previous year, according to official records held by Vital Statistics Services, part of the Wyoming Department of Health.

Among Wyoming residents, there were 5,886 deaths recorded in 2022, 6,572 deaths in 2021, 5,986 deaths in 2020 and 5,122 deaths in 2019, according to official death certificate information.

“Wyoming’s data showed consistent, modest increases in deaths before the pandemic for several years, largely due to our aging population,” said Guy Beaudoin, VSS deputy state registrar with WDH. “The COVID-19 pandemic was a factor behind the sharply increased recorded deaths we saw in 2020 and 2021.The numbers are still higher than we would have expected before the pandemic, but may be beginning to return to a more normal state.”

Stefan Johansson, WDH director, said, “There was a notable reduction in suicides last year. This is certainly something we welcome.”

In 2022, there were 149 suicides recorded among Wyoming residents, compared to 190 in 2021 and 182 in 2020.

In 2022, there were 93 overdose deaths recorded among Wyoming residents, compared to 98 in 2021 and 90 in 2020.

The top five causes of death in Wyoming for 2022 were heart diseases, cancers, various types of accidents and adverse effects, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and related conditions, and COVID-19. COVID-19 had been the third-leading cause of death in both 2020 and 2021.

There were 6,050 births among Wyoming resident mothers in 2022 compared with 6,236 in 2021, 6,133 in 2020 and 6,568 in 2019, before the pandemic.

The records are considered provisional at this point; minor adjustments are expected as numbers are finalized.