Death rate for men and women was falling again last year before coronavirus hit, official figures show
- England and Wales death figures covering 2019 show falls in mortality rates
- Mortality rates ‘significantly’ reduced for men and women after flattening out
- Sharp fall in number of women dying meant figures nearly the same as for men
The death rate for men and women was falling before coronavirus hit, official figures showed today.
There were ‘significant’ falls in mortality in 2019 after years in which improvements appeared to have flattened out.
Adjusting for age and population structure, there were 1,079.4 deaths per 100,000 men – down 3.7 per cent on 2018 – and among women it was 798.9 deaths per 100,000 – 4.7 per cent lower.
The total number of deaths in England and Wales dropped last year for the first time since 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with the gap between men and women the lowest on record.
More women usually die than men each year, partly because the female population is larger.
Accounting for age and population structure, there were significant falls in the mortality rate by 3.7 per cent for men and 4.7 per cent for women
However, in 2019 the difference was just 241, compared to over 30,000 more women dying in 2003.
The overall number of deaths recorded is volatile due to demographic ‘bulges’, and the 2 per cent reduction to 530,841 last year followed the highest figure since 2003 in 2018.
The North East was the region of England with the highest mortality rates and London was the area with the lowest, for both men and women.
Deaths due to Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease decreased for the first time since 2009.
However, it remained the leading cause of death, accounting for 12.5 per cent of the total registered in 2019.
The overall number of deaths recorded is volatile due to demographic ‘bulges’, and the 2 per cent reduction to 530,841 last year followed the highest figure since 2003 in 2018