The Department of Health has today published an updated version of its annual mortality monitoring bulletin covering life expectancy, all-age-all-cause mortality and mortality from selected causes. These statistics have been released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.
Life Expectancy at birth
• Life expectancy at birth in England has continued to increase for both males and females, reaching 78.4 and 82.4 years respectively in 2008-10.
Mortality from selected causes of death
• Cancer: The mortality rate from cancer at ages under 75 in England has continued to decline, at 110 deaths per 100,000 population in 2008-10, a decrease of 14% since 1999-01.
• Circulatory diseases: The mortality rate from circulatory diseases at ages under 75 in England has continued to decline, at 67 deaths per 100,000 population in 2008-10, a decrease of 41% since 1999-01.
• Suicide: The mortality rate from suicide and injury of undetermined intent in England was 7.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 2008-10, a fall of 15% since 1999-01, but having remained around 7.9 since 2005-07.
• Accidents: There has been little change in the England mortality rate from accidents since 1999-01; however, in 2008-10 the rate fell by 2.8% compared with 2007-09, from 15.7 to 15.2 deaths per 100,000 population - this was mainly due to a fall in the rate for males.
Inequalities in life expectancy and mortality
• Although life expectancy is improving in the areas which had the worst health and deprivation (the former Spearhead Group), both the absolute and relative gaps in female life expectancy between these areas and England as a whole increased between 1999-01 and 2008-10. For male life expectancy, the absolute and relative gaps were broadly unchanged over the same period, although the relative gap widened slightly between 2004-06 and 2007-09.
• For mortality rates from cancer and circulatory diseases at ages under 75, the absolute gap between the areas which had the worst health and deprivation (the former Spearhead Group) and England narrowed between 1999-01 and 2008-10, but the relative gap widened.
The full statistical release can be found on the Department of Health website.
Notes to editors
This bulletin presents the latest (2008-10) three-year average figures for:
• Life expectancy at birth
• Mortality rates for all causes of death
• Mortality rates for the following specific causes of death:
o Cancer (ages under 75)
o All circulatory diseases (ages under 75)
o Intentional self-harm (suicide) and injury of undetermined intent
Figures on area-based inequalities are presented for life expectancy, allage-all-cause mortality, and cancer and circulatory diseases mortality. This is based on comparison of figures for England with figures for a group of local authorities (formerly known as the Spearhead Group) identified as having had the worst health and deprivation, based on life expectancy and mortality data for 1995-97 and the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation.
This bulletin follows the release by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of life expectancy at birth figures for 2008-10 at national level and for local authorities:
• Interim Life Tables, 2008-10
• Life expectancy at birth and at age 65 by local areas in the United
Kingdom, 2004-06 to 2008-10
The mortality rates included in this publication have been calculated from death registrations and mid-year population estimates released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), following the publication of figures for 2010:
• Death registrations summary tables, England and Wales, 2010
• Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2010 Population Estimates
This document is the latest in a series of mortality monitoring bulletins published since 2007, initially to present data related to former government mortality targets, and the selection of indicators presented reflects this. We plan to review the format and content of this bulletin before the next annual update in the light of the indicators in the Transparency section of the Department of Health Business Plan 2011-15, and the forthcoming Public Health Outcomes Framework.