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

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

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context