Official Statistics

Mortality profile commentary: March 2023

Published 7 March 2023

Applies to England

Main findings

This update provides age-standardised mortality rates for many leading causes of death in England in 2021. It shows the latest levels of mortality for these causes and provides evidence of disparities by sex, geography and level of deprivation.

Trend data is not being presented alongside the 2021 updates as mid-year population estimates for 2012 to 2020, based on the 2021 Census, are not yet available - see the Background section below for more detail.

Mortality rates for all causes

In 2021, the England age-standardised mortality rate for all causes, for people of all ages, was 1,008 per 100,000 population. The rate for males was 1,190 per 100,000, 38% higher than the rate for females (860 per 100,000).

For those aged under 75, the all-cause mortality rate was 363 per 100,000 population. The gap between sexes was wider than for deaths at all ages: the rate for males aged under 75 was 448 per 100,000, 58% higher than the rate for females (283 per 100,000).

The region with the highest mortality rate for persons of all ages was the North East (1,121 per 100,000 population) and the region with the lowest rate was the South West (917 per 100,000 population).

The South West also had the lowest rate for persons under age 75 (306 per 100,000 population) while the region with the highest rate was the North West (431 per 100,000 population).

People living in the most deprived tenth of local authority areas in England had a mortality rate which was 48% higher than the rate for people in the least deprived tenth of areas in 2021.

Blackpool, in the North West, was the local authority with the highest mortality rate for people of all ages in 2021. Its rate of 1,382 per 100,000 population was almost double the rate in Hart, in the South East, the area with the lowest rate (718 per 100,000).

Mortality rates for the main causes of death

The cancer mortality rate for people of all ages in England in 2021 was 248 per 100,000 population, higher than the rate for cardiovascular diseases (230 per 100,000).

COVID-19 remained a leading cause of death in England in 2021, with a rate of 117 per 100,000 for people of all ages, for deaths due to COVID-19. This was higher than the rate of 106 per 100,000 for deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Male mortality rates for all ages in England in 2021 were higher than female rates for cancer (by 41%), for cardiovascular disease (by 60%) and for COVID-19 (by 62%), however the male rate for dementia and Alzheimer’s was 18% lower than the female rate.

While the mortality rate for COVID-19 was higher than the rate for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for males in 2021, the reverse was true for females.

Mortality rates for regions and local authorities

The Mortality Profile shows how the northern regions of England have the highest mortality rates in 2021. For deaths of people of all ages, the North East had the highest mortality rates for all causes, all cancers, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, stroke and liver disease. The North West had the highest rates for all cardiovascular diseases, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and respiratory disease, while Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest rate for heart disease.

The geographical pattern was different for deaths due to COVID-19. The rate for people of all ages was highest in London in 2021 (166 per 100,000 population), more than double than the South West, the region with the lowest rate (70 per 100,000 population).

For some other causes, including all cancers, colorectal cancer, and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, London had the lowest mortality rates in 2021 for people of all ages. The South East had the lowest rates for lung cancer and heart disease, while the East of England had the lowest rates for all cardiovascular diseases, stroke and liver disease. Besides having the lowest rate for all causes, the South West also had the lowest mortality rate for respiratory diseases.

Mortality rates by level of deprivation

Across many causes, there is a deprivation gradient, with the highest mortality rates occurring in the most deprived areas of England and the lowest rates occurring in the least deprived areas.

For deaths due to COVID-19 in 2021, people living in the most deprived tenth of local authority areas in England had a mortality rate which was 74% higher than the rate for people in the least deprived tenth of areas.

For deaths from all cancers, the rate for the most deprived areas was 33% higher than the least deprived, and for circulatory diseases, the rate for the most deprived areas was 53% higher than the least deprived.

Background

The Mortality Profile brings together a selection of mortality indicators, including from other OHID data tools such as the Public Health Outcomes Framework, making it easier to assess outcomes across a range of causes of death.

Mortality rates produced for the Mortality Profile are directly age-standardised rates, which are adjusted for differences in the age and sex structure of the population between areas and population groups.

Following Census 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is carrying out reconciliation and rebasing of the mid-year population estimates (MYE) it produces. This process happens every 10 years following the census. The official population estimates for mid-2012 to mid-2020 will be revised, to incorporate the data now available from Census 2021. As such, updated indicators using ONS mid-year population estimates are presented for 2021 only. Once revised populations for mid-2012 to mid-2020 are published, the updated back series will be published.

The most and least deprived tenth of local authorities are defined using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 local authority scores. They are created by ranking lower tier local authorities in England from most to least deprived and dividing these into 10 categories with approximately equal numbers of local authorities in each.

New and updated indicators in March 2023

In this update of the Mortality Profile, 12 new indicators have been added, presenting 2021 data only:

• mortality rate for deaths due to COVID-19, all ages
• under 75 mortality rate for deaths due to COVID-19
• mortality rate from all cardiovascular diseases, all ages
• mortality rate from heart disease, all ages
• mortality rate from stroke, all ages
• mortality rate from cancer, all ages
• mortality rate from breast cancer, all ages
• mortality rate from colorectal cancer, all ages
• mortality rate from liver disease, all ages
• mortality rate from respiratory disease, all ages
• under 75 mortality rate from lung cancer
• mortality rate from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, all ages

The following indicators have been updated to include 2021 data only:

• mortality rate from all causes, all ages
• under 75 mortality rate from all causes
• mortality rate for deaths involving COVID-19, all ages
• under 75 mortality rate for deaths involving COVID-19
• under 75 mortality rate from heart disease
• under 75 mortality rate from stroke
• under 75 mortality rate from breast cancer
• under 75 mortality rate from colorectal cancer

The following indicator from the Public Health Outcomes Framework is included within the tool for the first time:

• mortality rate from a range of specified communicable diseases, including influenza

The following indicators, drawn from other profiles, have been updated to include 2021 data only:

• under 75 mortality rate from all cardiovascular diseases
• under 75 mortality rate from cancer
• mortality rate from lung cancer, all ages
• under 75 mortality rate from liver disease
• under 75 mortality rate from respiratory disease
• mortality rate from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• under 75 mortality rate from causes considered preventable
• under 75 mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases considered preventable
• under 75 mortality rate from cancer considered preventable
• under 75 mortality rate from liver disease considered preventable
• under 75 mortality rate from respiratory disease considered preventable

The following indicators, drawn from other profiles, have been updated to the latest time period:

• infant mortality rate
• suicide rate
• killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualties on England’s roads
• fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution

For enquiries or feedback relating to the Mortality profile, email profilefeedback@dhsc.gov.uk.