1307.8 - Australian Capital Territory in Focus, 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/11/2007  Ceased
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Contents >> People >> Deaths

DEATHS

There were 1,500 deaths registered of people usually resident in the ACT registered during 2006. Of these deaths, 740 were male and 750 were female, giving a sex ratio of 99.3 male deaths per 100 female deaths.



Age

In 2005, the median age at death in the ACT was 75.3 years for males and 82.0 years for females. This represented an increase of 4.8 years for males and 6.1 years for females when compared with 1995. The median age at death for both males and females in the ACT was lower than the national median ages of 76.8 and 82.9 years respectively.



Standardised death rate

The standardised death rate (SDR) eliminates the effect of the changing age structure of the population over time by relating them to a standard population.


In 2005, the SDR for the ACT was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 population, down by 13.8 % from 1995 (6.5 per 1,000). The ACT experienced the lowest SDR of all states and territories in 2005, continuing the trend of past decades.


Nationally, the SDR was 6.0 deaths per 1,000 population in 2005, compared with 7.8 in 1995 (down 23%).

5.7 Standardised death rate, ACT
Graph: 5.7 Standardised death rate, ACT




Infant deaths

There were 23 infant deaths (deaths of children less than one year of age) recorded in the ACT during 2005, an increase from the 12 recorded in 2001. The infant mortality rate for the ACT in 2005 was 5.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

5.8 Summary, Deaths statistics - 2000-2005

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

Registered deaths, ACT
Male no.
642
729
661
751
739
743
Female no.
658
690
712
663
684
748
Total no.
1 300
1 419
1 373
1 414
1 423
1 491
Standardised death rates(a)
ACT rate
6.1
6.3
5.9
5.8
5.6
5.6
Aust. rate
6.8
6.6
6.7
6.4
6.3
6.0
Infant deaths(b)
ACT no.
17
12
14
24
29
23
Aust. no.
1 290
1 309
1 264
1 199
1 184
1 302
Infant mortality rate(c)
ACT rate
4.2
3.0
3.4
5.8
6.9
5.5
Aust. rate
5.2
5.3
5.0
4.8
4.7
5.0
Life expectancy at birth, ACT(d)
Male years
78.3
78.5
79.2
79.2
79.7
79.9
Female years
82.3
82.9
83.3
83.8
83.9
84.0

(a) Deaths per 1,000 population. Standardised death rates use total persons in the 2001 Australian population as the standard population.
(b) Death of children less than one year of age.
(c) Infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
(d) Life expectancy refers to the average number of additional years a person of a given age and sex might expect to live if the age-specific death rates of the given period continued throughout his/her lifetime.
Deaths, Australia, 2005 (cat. no. 3302.0).



Life expectancy

According to the 2003-05 life tables, ACT residents have a higher life expectancy at birth than residents of other states and territories. A boy born in the ACT in 2005 could expect to live to 79.9 years, compared with 78.5 years nationally. A girl born in the ACT in 2005 could expect to live to 84.0 years, 0.7 years more than the national average (83.3). Nationally, in the decade to 2005, life expectancy rose by 3.5 years for males and by 2.5 years for females.

5.9 Life expectancy at birth, ACT and Australia
Graph: 5.9 Life expectancy at birth, ACT and Australia



The 2003-05 life tables also show that a male aged 21 years could expect to live another 59.7 years. In comparison, a female aged 21 years in 2005 could expect to live for another 63.8 years. ACT residents aged 55 years in 2005 could expect to live for another 27.5 years if male, or 30.9 years if female.



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