1367.5 - Western Australian Statistical Indicators, Dec 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/01/2010   
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Contents >> Population >> Deaths (including Causes of Death)

DEATHS

3 DEATHS, Selected Indicators, 2008
2008
2007
1998
Crude death rate(a)
5.9
5.8
5.9
Infant mortality rate(b)
Total(c)
3.5
3.9
4.7
Indigenous
10.1
10.2
16.9
Non-indigenous
2.9
3.1
4.6
(a) Number of deaths registered in the calendar year per 1,000 of the estimated resident population at 30 June of that year.
(b) Number of deaths registered in the calendar year of infants under 12 months of age per 1,000 live births registered in that calendar year.
(c) Includes infants for whom Indigenous status was not provided.
Source: Deaths, Australia 2008 (cat. no 3302.0)


  • While the crude death rate has remained fairly constant over the last decade (around 5.9 per 1,000 of the total Western Australian population), infant mortality rate has continued to decline, dropping from 4.7 to just 3.5.
  • Over the same period, the Indigenous infant mortality rate has fallen from 16.9 to 10.1.

4 CAUSES OF DEATH (a) (b)
Unit
1997
2004
2005
2006
2007(c)
Leading causes of death (all deaths) and ICD code
Cancer (C00-D48)
%
28.5
30.5
30.8
31.2
30.5
Ischaemic heart disease (I20-I25)
%
20.2
17.4
17.5
16.3
16.2
Stroke (I60-I69)
%
9.2
8.1
7.4
7.6
6.9
Selected cancer and ICD code
Male lung cancer (of male deaths) (C33-C34)
%
6.7
7.0
7.9
7.4
6.8
Female lung cancer (of female deaths) (C33-C34)
%
3.7
4.6
4.8
4.7
5.0
Female breast cancer (of female deaths) (C50)
%
4.5
4.1
4.4
np
4.3
Prostate cancer (of male deaths) (C61)
%
3.2
3.7
3.9
4.1
3.5
Skin cancer (of all deaths) (C43)
%
0.7
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.0
Heart disease
Male ischaemic heart disease (of male deaths) (I20-I25)
%
21.1
18.4
17.9
17.5
17.4
Female ischaemic heart disease (of female deaths) (I20-I25)
%
19.2
16.3
17.1
14.8
14.8
Accidents and suicide (V01-Y98)
Transport accidents (V01-V99, Y85 )
Males (of male deaths)
%
2.9
2.6
2.2
2.7
3.3
15-24 years (of male deaths 15-24 years)
%
38.7
35.0
36.2
43.0
33.6
Females (of female deaths)
%
1.2
1.0
1.0
0.9
1.0
15-24 years (of female deaths 15-24 years)
%
26.3
28.8
31.6
30.2
30.8
Suicide (X60-X84, Y87.0)(d)
Males (of male deaths)
%
3.6
2.7
2.8
2.5
3.1
15-24 years (of male deaths 15-24 years)
%
22.7
15.0
23.3
17.2
29.3
Females (of female deaths)
%
1.0
0.7
0.6
0.9
1.0
15-24 years (of female deaths 15-24 years)
%
15.8
9.6
7.9
17.0
19.2
Total male deaths
no.
5 774
5 850
5 974
6 186
6 448
Total female deaths
no.
5 033
5 334
5 323
5 457
5 835
Total male deaths 15-24 years
no.
150
120
116
128
116
Total female deaths 15-24 years
no.
57
52
38
53
52
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
no.
5.3
3.9
4.6
4.9
2.4
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
(a) Causes of death statistics have been compiled in respect of the state or territory of usual residence of the deceased.
(b) Causes of death data for 2007 are subject to revision. See Explanatory Notes 3-4 in the source publication for further information
(c) See Explanatory Notes 67-82 for further information on specific issues relating to 2007 data.
(d) Care needs to be taken in interpreting figures relating to suicide due to limitations of the data. See Explanatory Notes 78-79 and Technical Note: ABS coding of suicide deaths for further information.
Sources: Causes of Death, Australia, 2007 (cat. no. 3303.0); Deaths, Australia 2008 (cat. no 3302.0). ABS data available on request.


  • In 2007, there were 12,283 deaths registered in Western Australia. The main causes of death were cancer (malignant neoplasms), ischaemic heart disease and stroke, together accounting for more than half (54%) of all deaths. Transport accidents were responsible for 270 deaths (2.2%).
  • The proportion of deaths caused by cancer (30.5%) was slightly higher than in 1997 (28.5%). By contrast, ischaemic heart disease (16%) and stroke (6.9%) accounted for a smaller proportion of deaths in 2007 than in 1997 (20% and 9.2% respectively).
  • In 2007, the total number of deaths in the 15-24 year age group was twice as high for males (116) as for females (52). Transport accidents accounted for more male (34%) than female (31%) deaths in this younger age group, although the difference in these proportions was smaller than in the previous year (43% compared with 30%).
  • Suicide deaths in 2007 were much higher for males than females in this younger age group. Of the 44 deaths caused by 'intentional self harm' among persons aged 15-24 years, 34 were male and 10 were female. Suicide accounted for 29% of male deaths in this age group, compared with 19% of female deaths. However, in 2006, these proportions were virtually identical (both around 17%).

    This first link takes you to data cubes on the Downloads page of Deaths Australia, 2008 (cat. no. 3302.0) including Death rates (1998-2008); Life expectancy and Infant mortality ( including some data for the Indigenous population).

    The next link takes you to data cubes on the Downloads page of Causes of Death, 2007




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