But there was a rise in deaths for those aged between 65 and 74.
The figures have been released in new research by the ONS.
According to the report, there was a 2.2% decrease in the number of deaths at ages 75 and over, with this reduction being seen in both males and females.
However, the number of deaths at ages 75 and over remained higher than they did in 2014, and there was also an increase in the number of fatalities aged between 65 to 74 as well.
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Vasita Patel, vital statistics outputs branch, said: “We’ve seen a decline in deaths in 2016 compared with 2015, notably amongst those aged over 75. However, the number of deaths among those aged 65 to 74 has actually increased, which might mean we are seeing those born in the peak immediately after World War 2 moving into old age.”
The body reported that there were just over 525,000 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2016 - a decrease of 0.9% compared to 2015. Provisional results have also suggested that the number of fatalaties in Scotland and Northern Ireland decreased by 1.5%.
The news means that the number of deaths has risen each year since 2011, barring 2014 and 2016.
There was, however, a 0.2% increase in the number of male deaths registered in 2016, while there was a 1.9% decrease in the number of female deaths.
Cancer remained the most common cause of death, with 28.5% of all fatalities registered being caused by the disease.
Circulatory diseases such as heart disease and stroke were the second most common cause of death.