Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators - October 2013

Annual update of the 'Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities' headline indicators.


All-cause mortality aged 15-44 years

Summary

  • The level of relative inequality has increased since 1997 but in recent years has been more stable. Absolute inequality shows no clear trend over time.

Between 1997 and 2011, the rate of death amongst those aged 15-44 years has remained broadly stable (between 106 and 118 per 100,000 population). Within this age group, rates of drug related deaths have more than doubled over the same period (to around 22 per 100,000) and rates of death from assault have remained stable (around 3 per 100,000).

Rates of death from suicide decreased by 14% between 1997 and 2010. In 2011, there was a change to the way suicides were coded following an update of death classification by the World Health Organisation (WHO), resulting in some deaths previously coded under 'mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use' now being classed as 'self-poisoning of undetermined intent'. Therefore, from 2011 there is a break in series for the number of suicides. Under previous coding rules, the overall number of suicide deaths (ages 15-44) in 2011 was estimated to be 420.

Deaths amongst those aged 15-44 years are more common in deprived areas than in areas of low deprivation (241 per 100,000 population compared to 39 per 100,000, in 2011). While there have been some short terms fluctuations in both the relative and absolute level of inequalities, the rates of both have remained broadly stable since 1999.

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context

Number of all-causes deaths

Target population size

Rate per 100,000 (EASR)

1997

2,436

2,158,030

112.0

1998

2,498

2,142,787

115.1

1999

2,507

2,129,794

115.6

2000

2,501

2,118,568

114.8

2001

2,509

2,111,242

114.9

2002

2,566

2,096,447

118.5

2003

2,461

2,087,978

113.3

2004

2,409

2,084,722

110.9

2005

2,305

2,081,858

105.5

2006

2,482

2,085,170

114.5

2007

2,461

2,086,427

114.2

2008

2,443

2,081,506

114.5

2009

2,389

2,075,639

112.0

2010

2,229

2,071,351

105.8

2011

2,262

2,071,905

107.8

Deaths from assault

Drug related deaths

Suicides

Number

EASR per 100,000

Number

EASR per 100,000

Number

EASR per 100,000

1997

56

2.6

196

9.1

518

23.7

1998

65

3.1

227

10.8

526

24.2

1999

86

4.0

274

13.2

529

24.6

2000

60

2.9

268

12.8

541

25.5

2001

63

3.0

288

13.8

531

24.9

2002

76

3.6

345

17.0

539

25.6

2003

71

3.4

281

13.7

456

21.5

2004

78

3.8

311

15.4

475

22.1

2005

50

2.4

277

13.2

436

20.7

2006

83

4.0

351

17.0

435

20.6

2007

54

2.6

392

18.9

453

21.6

2008

53

2.6

477

23.1

480

23.1

2009

47

2.3

436

21.0

432

20.6

2010

54

2.6

384

18.6

423

20.3

2011[9]

53

2.6

454

22.0

525[9]

25.3[9]

Contact

Email: Craig Kellock

Back to top