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Annual statistical publication that collates and analyses information on the underlying causes of all deaths registered in New Zealand. The commentary summarises key facts, mortality rates, trends and major causes of death by age group, and sex.

Selected facts from the publication:

Major causes of mortality in 2002 and 2003

• There were 28,360 deaths registered in New Zealand in 2002, and 28,061 in 2003. Compared to the equivalent period a decade ago (ie, 1992 and 1993), this represents a 6.1 and 3.1 percent decrease respectively.
• In 2002, males accounted for 31 more deaths (14,195 total male deaths; an age-standardised rate of 495.5 deaths per 100,000) than females (14,164 total female deaths; an age-standardised rate of 334.3).
• In 2003, males accounted for 71 more deaths (14,066 deaths; an age-standardised rate of 476.4 deaths per 100,000) than females (13,995 deaths; an age-standardised rate of 323.4).
• There were 2640 Māori deaths in 2002 (1446 males, 1193 females), accounting for 9.3 percent of total deaths. This gives an age-standardised rate of 845.2 for Māori males and 614.0 for Māori females.
• There were 2705 Māori deaths in 2003 (1522 males, 1183 females), accounting for 9.6 percent of total deaths. This gives an age-standardised rate of 846.5 for Māori males and 589.8 for Māori females.

Cancer

• There were 7800 deaths from cancer in 2002 (4125 males and 3675 females). There were 7932 deaths from cancer in 2003 (4233 males and 3699 females).
• Cancer was the leading cause of death for both males and females in 2002 and 2003.
• The age-standardised rate of cancer death has shown a downward trend from 1987 to 2003, with a 17.2 percent decrease for males and 17.5 percent decrease for females over the period.
• Males had a consistently higher age-standardised rate of cancer death over from 1987 to 2003, and in 2003 the male rate was 34.1 percent higher than the female rate.
• The Māori population consistently had a higher rate of cancer death than the non-Māori population. In 2002, the calculated Māori male rate was 58 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate. In 2003, the calculated Māori male rate was 63 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate.
• Māori females had a calculated rate of cancer death that was 78 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate in 2002. Māori females had a calculated rate of cancer death that was 79 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate in 2003.

Ischaemic heart disease

• Ischaemic heart disease was the second leading cause of death after cance in 2002, with 6287 deaths. Males accounted for 53.0 percent of these deaths, but the male age-standardised rate was almost twice the female rate in 2002.
• Ischaemic heart disease was the second leading cause of death after cancer in 2003, with 6196 deaths. Males accounted for 52.3 percent of these deaths.
• In 2002, the calculated Māori male age-standardised rate of death from ischaemic heart disease was 97 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate, and the calculated Māori female rate was 92 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.
• In 2003, the calculated Māori male age-standardised rate of death from ischaemic heart disease was 120 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate, and the calculated Māori female rate was 84 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.

Cerebrovascular disease

• Cerebrovascular disease was the third leading cause of death in the total population in 2002 and 2003, after cancer and ischaemic heart disease.
• There were 2829 deaths from cerebrovascular disease in 2002 and the majority (61.9 percent) were female deaths.
• There were 2692 deaths from cerebrovascular disease in 2003 and the majority (64.0 percent) were female deaths.
• Māori males had the highest age-standardised rate of the four groups in 2002, followed by Māori females. The calculated Māori male age-standardised rate was 40 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate in 2002 and the calculated Māori female rate was 26 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.
• Māori females had the highest age-standardised rate of the four groups in 2003, followed by Māori males. The calculated Māori male age-standardised rate was 22 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate in 2003 and the calculated Māori female rate was 46 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.

Diabetes mellitus

• There were 805 deaths from diabetes mellitus in 2002, with slightly more male deaths (53.0 percent) than females. There were 847 deaths from diabetes mellitus in 2003 and 51.5 percent were male deaths.
• The male age-standardised rate of death from diabetes has shown an upward trend from 1987 to 2003, with a 57.5 percent increase over the period; the female age-standardised rate over the same period increased by 40.4 percent.
• Males had a consistently higher age-standardised rate of death from diabetes mellitus from 1987 to 2003, and in 2003 the male rate was 45.0 percent higher than the female rate.
• The calculated Māori male age-standardised rate of diabetes mellitus was 466 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate in 2002 and the calculated Māori female rate was 494 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.
• The calculated Māori male age-standardised rate was 451 percent higher than the non-Māori male rate in 2003 and the calculated Māori female rate was 675 percent higher than the non-Māori female rate.

The statistical tables accompanying this publication can be downloaded as an Zip archive (1.6 MB) containing a set of Excel files, and the publication can be downloaded as a PDF file (772 kB).
Note that this issue of Mortality and Demographic Data does not contain a full set of tables. For the detailed statistical tables, the Excel file must be obtained.

To order the printed publication, contact the Publications Officer, NZHIS, PO Box 5013, Wellington, phone (04) 496 2000, fax (04) 496 2340, e-mail nzhis-pub@moh.govt.nz.

Published 2006
57 pages, A4
A limited number of hardcopy publications are available free of charge
ISSN 0548-9911

The 2001 (PDF, 600 kB), 2000 (PDF, 408 kB), 1999 (PDF, 1 MB), 1998 (PDF, 420 kB), 1997 (PDF, 688 kB) and 1996 (PDF, 652 kB) issues of this publication are also available. They each contain a full set of tables.


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