Life expectancy and mortality

Measure

Number of deaths from all causes among First Nations people.

Available by

Sex: males, females, persons.

Data period

2018–2022

Data source

AIHW National Mortality Database.

Region types

• Main structures: Australia, states and territories, Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4).


• Indigenous structures: Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression

• Data have been suppressed to protect confidentiality when the number of deaths is less than 5, including the use of consequential suppression to prevent back-calculation.


• Data have been suppressed for sensitivity considerations when the number of deaths is between 5 and 9, using primary suppression only.

Notes

• Deaths were registered in 2018–2022 among people identified as of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) origin. The analysis excluded deaths where Indigenous status was non-Indigenous or not stated.


• The First Nations origin of a deceased person is captured in death registration via the Death Registration From (DRF) and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The use of both the DRF and MCCD has varied over time and across the jurisdictions. In 2022, New South Wales started using both to derive Indigenous status, bringing the derivation in line with all other states and territories except Victoria. This change has led to improved recording of Indigenous status, but also introduced a break in time series data for NSW and Australia. For its impact and further information, see the ABS methodology notes on Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/causes-death-australia-methodology/2022#deaths-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people).


• Versions of data: deaths registered in years 2018 and 2019 – Final; 2020 – Revised; 2021 and 2022 – Preliminary. Revised and preliminary versions were subject to further revision by the ABS.


• Deaths were counted according to year of registration of death and the region of usual residence.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory, data at the SA4 level were aggregated from Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) by truncating the digits of the SA2 codes. For the Australian Capital Territory, the state and SA4 data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundary.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, data at the IREG level were aggregated from SA2s by using ABS Indigenous population-weighted geographic correspondences. For the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, the state and IREG data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundaries.

Measure

Median age at death from all causes among First Nations people.

Available by

Sex: males, females, persons.

Data period

2018–2022

Data sources

AIHW National Mortality Database.

Region types

• Main structure: Australia, states and territories, Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4),


• Indigenous structure: Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression

• Median age at death has been suppressed where there are less than 10 deaths.


• Median age at death has been suppressed for Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory and the sub-state geographic areas (IREGs and SA4s) in these three states and territories due to data quality issues.

Notes

• Deaths were registered in 2018–2022 among people identified as of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) origin. The analysis excluded deaths where Indigenous status was non-Indigenous or not stated.


• The First Nations origin of a deceased person is captured in death registration via the Death Registration From (DRF) and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The use of both the DRF and MCCD has varied over time and across the jurisdictions. In 2022, New South Wales started using both to derive Indigenous status, bringing the derivation in line with all other states and territories except Victoria. This change has led to improved recording of Indigenous status, but also introduced a break in time series data for NSW and Australia. For its impact and further information, see the ABS methodology notes on Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/causes-death-australia-methodology/2022#deaths-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people).


• Versions of data: deaths registered in years 2018 and 2019 – Final; 2020 – Revised; 2021 and 2022 – Preliminary. Revised and preliminary versions were subject to further revision by the ABS.


• Deaths were counted according to year of registration of death and the region of usual residence.


• Deaths at the SA4 level were aggregated from Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) by truncating the digits of the SA2 codes.


• Deaths at the IREG level were aggregated from SA2s by using ABS Indigenous population-weighted geographic correspondences.


• The median age of death was calculated from age at death in single years, assuming a uniform distribution for deaths occurring in an age interval.


• Deaths with missing age at death were excluded in the analysis.

Measures

• Number of deaths due to 5 leading causes of death among First Nations people.


• Proportion (%) of deaths due to 5 leading causes of death among First Nations people.

Available by

Sex: males, females, persons.

Data period

2018–2022

Data source

AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD).

Region types

• Main structures: Australia, states and territories, Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4).


• Indigenous structures: Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression

• Data have been suppressed to protect confidentiality when the number of deaths is less than 5, including the use of consequential suppression to prevent back-calculation.


• Data have been suppressed for sensitivity considerations when the number of deaths is between 5 and 9, using primary suppression only.


• Proportions have been suppressed due to concerns about data volatility when the denominator is less than 100.

Notes

• Deaths were registered in 2018–2022 among people identified as of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) origin. The analysis excluded deaths where Indigenous status was non-Indigenous or not stated.


• The First Nations origin of a deceased person is captured in death registration via the Death Registration From (DRF) and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The use of both the DRF and MCCD has varied over time and across the jurisdictions. In 2022, New South Wales started using both to derive Indigenous status, bringing the derivation in line with all other states and territories except Victoria. This change has led to improved recording of Indigenous status, but also introduced a break in time series data for NSW and Australia. For its impact and further information, see the ABS methodology notes on Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/causes-death-australia-methodology/2022#deaths-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people).


• Versions of data: deaths registered in years 2018 and 2019 – Final; 2020 – Revised; 2021 and 2022 – Preliminary. Revised and preliminary versions were subject to further revision by the ABS.


• Cause of death information was based on underlying cause of death and classified according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). The causes were ranked by using the AIHW-modified version of groupings recommended by the WHO Becker et al. (2006). A method for deriving leading causes of death. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 84: 297–304.


• Deaths were counted according to year of registration of death and region of usual residence.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory, data at the SA4 level were aggregated from Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) by truncating the digits of the SA2 codes. For the Australian Capital Territory, the state and SA4 data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundary.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, data at the IREG level were aggregated from SA2s by using ABS Indigenous population-weighted geographic correspondences. For the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, the state and IREG data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundaries.


• Cause of Death Unit Record File data were provided to the AIHW by the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the National Coronial Information System (managed by the Victorian Department of Justice) and included cause of death coded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The data were maintained by the AIHW in the NMD.

Measures

• Number of deaths that were potentially avoidable among First Nations people.


• Proportion (%) of deaths that were potentially avoidable among First Nations people.

Available by

Sex: males, females, persons.

Data period

2018–2022

Data source

AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD).

Region types

• Main structures: Australia, states and territories, Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4).


• Indigenous structures: Indigenous Regions (IREG).

Suppression

• Data have been suppressed to protect confidentiality when the number of deaths is less than 5, including the use of consequential suppression to prevent back-calculation.


• Data have been suppressed for sensitivity considerations when the number of deaths is between 5 and 9, using primary suppression only.


• Proportions have been suppressed due to concerns about data volatility when the denominator is less than 100.

Notes

• Deaths registered in 2018–2022 under age 75 years and identified as of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) origin. The analysis excluded deaths where Indigenous status was non-Indigenous or not stated.


• The First Nations origin of a deceased person is captured in death registration via the Death Registration From (DRF) and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The use of both the DRF and MCCD has varied over time and across the jurisdictions. In 2022, New South Wales started using both to derive Indigenous status, bringing the derivation in line with all other states and territories except Victoria. This change has led to improved recording of Indigenous status, but also introduced a break in time series data for NSW and Australia. For its impact and further information, see the ABS methodology notes on Deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (https://www.abs.gov.au/methodologies/causes-death-australia-methodology/2022#deaths-of-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people).


• Versions of data: deaths registered in years 2018 and 2019 – Final; 2020 – Revised; 2021 and 2022 – Preliminary. Revised and preliminary versions were subject to further revision by the ABS.


• Cause of death information was based on underlying cause of death and was classified according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10).


• Potentially avoidable deaths (PADs) were deaths among people aged under 75 that were avoidable in the context of the present health care system. PADs include deaths from conditions that were potentially preventable through individualised care and/or treatable through existing primary or hospital care. PADs were classified using nationally agreed definitions (AIHW 2022. National Healthcare Agreement: PI 16–Potentially Avoidable Deaths, 2022. <https://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/740864>).


• Deaths were counted according to year of registration of death and region of usual residence.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory, data at the SA4 level were aggregated from Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) by truncating the digits of the SA2 codes. For the Australian Capital Territory, the state and SA4 data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundary.


• Except for the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, data at the IREG level were aggregated from SA2s by using ABS Indigenous population-weighted geographic correspondences. For the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, the state and IREG data were identical as they pertained to the same geographic boundaries.


• Cause of Death Unit Record File data were provided to the AIHW by the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the National Coronial Information System (managed by the Victorian Department of Justice) and included cause of death coded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The data were maintained by the AIHW in the NMD.

Description

• Life expectancy at birth for First Nations males.


• Life expectancy at birth for First Nations females.

Data source

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Deaths Collection

Region types reported

Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 Main Structure regions: States and Territories (NSW, Qld, WA and the NT only), Australia (which includes all states and territories).

Notes

Life expectancy at birth is a summary indicator of how long, on average, a group of newborn babies could expect to live if current death rates at each age remained unchanged. Life expectancy is an average value, not an exact measure of how long any individual will actually live; death rates in the population will change during a person’s lifetime and a person may die at an earlier or older age.

Life expectancy is calculated using life tables, which show the probability of dying at each age group based on deaths data and population estimates. Life expectancy can be calculated for any age using life tables, though life expectancy at birth is a common choice as a summary indicator.

The quality of life expectancy estimates depends on having complete and accurate data on the average number of deaths that occur in a period (by sex and age), and reliable estimates of the population (at the mid-point of the period) exposed to the risk of dying. While it is considered likely that the majority of deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations people) are registered, some of these deaths are not identified as First Nations people when they are registered (for example, because a person's Indigenous status is not reported during the deaths registration process). The quality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations people) identification in deaths data varies across state/territory collections, geography and over time.

All states and territories use information acquired from the Death registration form (DRF) to identify an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander death. Over time, jurisdictions have supplemented information from the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to improve the identification of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander deaths in the data. New South Wales started using information on the MCCD for identifying Indigenous status from 2022. This change in how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths were identified means that life expectancy estimates for 2020–2022 cannot be compared with previous life expectancy estimates for New South Wales.

With regards to the population estimates, the extent of undercoverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the 2021 Census and the relatively small sample size of the Post Enumeration Survey to adjust for that undercoverage means the estimates should be interpreted with a degree of caution.

The estimates shown in the Regional Overview for Australia are the ABS’ ‘headline estimates’ — these are estimates that take into account differences in First Nations  identification by age. This method improves the accuracy, but could only be used for national-level estimates, due to insufficient sample from the Post Enumeration Survey to accurately calculate age-specific identification rates. Life expectancy estimates for states/territories are also presented, but these assume uniform identification by age. Due to the different methodologies, life expectancy estimates for the states/territory are not directly comparable with the life expectancy estimates for Australia.

Reference material

ABS (2023) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy, ABS website, accessed 29 November 2023.