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

Premature Mortality - from all causes, aged under 75 years

Summary

• Following a long-term increase, relative inequalities have stabilised since 2006. Inequalities have declined in absolute terms over the last decade.

Between 1997 and 2011, the European age-standardised death rate amongst those aged under 75 years has decreased by 28.1%. Despite this decrease, more than 20,000 people aged under 75 still die each year. Deaths in this age group are more common in deprived areas than in areas of low deprivation. In 2011, premature deaths amongst those living in the 10% most deprived areas were 3.5 times more likely than those living in the 10% least deprived areas. Overall reductions in premature mortality have been observed across the population each year since 1997. Between 1997 and 2006, these improvements occurred at a slower rate in the most deprived areas than elsewhere in Scotland, which resulted in a widening of inequalities in relative terms. However, since 2006, the level of relative inequality has stabilised. Over the long-term, the level of absolute equality has remained broadly stable, although there have been some reductions since 2006.

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context