Frequently asked questions

 

Return to FAQ index

Please reference this document as:
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet (2005). Frequently asked questions: what do we know about deaths among Indigenous people? Retrieved [access date] from http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/html_keyfacts/faq/faq_mortality/faq_mortality.htm

 

What do we know about mortality among Indigenous people?

What do we know about the identification of Indigenous people in death registration data?


Information on deaths, which is published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), refers to any death registered with a State or Territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages [1]. In 2005, there were 2,141 deaths registered as Indigenous. It is believed that virtually all deaths of Indigenous people are registered, but some are not identified correctly as Indigenous. As a result, it is likely that the published number of Indigenous deaths underestimates the true number.

The ABS estimates the ‘completeness’ of recording Indigenous deaths by comparing the number registered in each State and Territory with the number expected for that jurisdiction. The estimated completeness has improved in recent years, but it was still only 56% overall in 2005– that is, only 56 out of every 100 Indigenous deaths is identified correctly [1]. The NT (92% in 2001-2005), WA (70%) and SA (64%) are the only jurisdictions with estimated completeness consistently above 60%.

Return to top

How long do Indigenous people live?

The measure used to assess how long people live is known as ‘expectation of life’ and is the average number of years a person can be expected to live at current death rates.

The ABS estimates that for Indigenous people born in recent years [1]:

• Indigenous males could be expected to live to 59.4 years, more than 17 years less than the 76.6 years expected for all males

• Indigenous females could be expected to live to 64.8 years, more than 17 years less than the expectation of 82.0 years for all females.

Return to top

How do Indigenous and non-Indigenous death rates compare?

Death rates relate the numbers of deaths to the total numbers of people. After taking account of the fact that the Indigenous population is much younger overall than the non-Indigenous population, the death rates for Indigenous people in 2000-2004 were between two and four times higher than those of their non-Indigenous counterparts [derived from 2-5]. (The higher figure takes account of the estimated completeness of Indigenous identification in death registrations – for more information, view our Overview of Australian Indigenous health status, 2007 : mortality section)

Return to top

What is the age pattern of Indigenous deaths?

The age pattern of deaths for Indigenous people is different to that of other Australians. Measures used for assessment include the median age at death and age-specific death rates. (The median age at death, which is the age below which 50% of people die, partly reflects the age structures of the respective populations and is a less precise measure than age-specific death rates.)

In 2005, the median age at death (for jurisdictions with reasonable information about Indigenous deaths) [1]:

• ranged from 42.4 years for Indigenous males living in SA to 54.3 years for those living in NSW. Levels were around 20 years less than those for non-Indigenous males, 76-78 years.

• ranged from 47.5 years for Indigenous females living in SA to 65.8 years for those living in NSW. Levels were more than 20 years less than those for non-Indigenous females, 82 - 84 years.

In 2001-2005, death rates were higher for Indigenous people living in Qld, WA, SA and the NT than for non-Indigenous people living in those jurisdictions across all age groups, but the ratios of these rates were particularly high in the young and middle adult years [7]. (The ratios, being based on the numbers of deaths registered, are likely to underestimate the true differences between death rates for Indigenous people and the total population by up to 30%. For more information, view our Overview of Australian Indigenous health status, 2007: mortality section)

Return to top

What are the main causes of death among Indigenous people?

For deaths identified as Indigenous in 2000-2004, cardiovascular disease (which includes heart disease and stroke) was the leading cause of death for Indigenous males and females living in Qld, WA, SA and the NT, with rates at least 3.1 and 2.6 times those of males and females of the total population [[derived from 2-5]].

For Indigenous males, the next most frequent causes of death (with the ratio of Indigenous and total male death rates in brackets) were [[derived from 2-5]]:
• injuries (including transport accidents, intentional self-harm and assault) (2.8)
• malignant neoplasms (cancers) (1.5);
• diseases of the respiratory system (4.1); and
• endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders (mainly diabetes) (7.5).

For Indigenous females, the next most frequent causes of death (with the ratio of Indigenous and total female death rates in brackets) were:
• malignant neoplasms (1.5);
• endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders (10.6);
• injuries (3.3); and
• diseases of the respiratory system (3.7).

Return to top

What is the Indigenous infant mortality rate?

The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age in a calendar year per 1,000 live births in that year. In 2003-2005, the infant mortality rate for Indigenous babies was highest in the NT (15.6 infant deaths per 1,000 births) and WA (12.8 per 1,000) and lowest in SA (7.7 per 1,000 births) (for jurisdictions with reasonable information about Indigenous deaths) [1]. (The rate for the total Australian population was around 5.0 infant deaths per 1,000 births.)

Return to top

What do we know about Indigenous maternal mortality?

In 2000-2002 (the most recent period for which detailed data are available) 13 (16.9%) of the 77 maternal deaths where Indigenous status was known were of Indigenous women (Indigenous status was not reported in 11% of the deaths) [8].

Reflecting the higher rate of confinements among Indigenous women, the maternal mortality ratio for Indigenous women in 2000-2002 was 49.9 per 100,000 confinements,almost five times higher than the ratio of 9.9 per 100,000 for non-Indigenous women [8]. For direct maternal deaths, the ratio was 15.3 for Indigenous women compared with 3.8 for non-Indigenous women.

 

References

1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Deaths Australia, 2005. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001) Deaths Australia, 2000. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002) Deaths Australia, 2001. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003) Deaths Australia, 2002. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004) Deaths Australia, 2003. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

6 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005) Deaths Australia, 2004. (ABS catalogue no. 3302.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics

7 Australian Institute of health and Welfare (2006) Australia's health 2006: the tenth biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (AIHW Cat. No. AUS 73) Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

8 Sullivan EA, King JF, eds. (2006) Maternal deaths in Australia 2000-2002. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Return to top


 

You can contribute to improving the health of Australia's Indigenous people by assisting the HealthInfoNet's work
Last updated: 5 November 2007