An Official Statistics
Publication
Published by: Information & Analysis Directorate, Department of Health
Authors: Gideon Dilworth & Caolán Laverty
Lead Statistician: Bill Stewart
Publication Date: 9 December 2025
Frequency: Annual
Contact: statistics@health-ni.gov.uk
The Official Life Expectancy Figures for Northern Ireland
The Department of Health are the official producers of life expectancy figures for Northern Ireland. This report presents the latest estimates of life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy. The report explores the extent to which mortality within certain age groups and causes of death contribute to the observed variations in life expectancy over time, in addition to inequality gaps between sexes, deprivation levels, Health and Social Care Trusts and Local Government Districts.
Accountability
Statement
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for
Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness,
quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all
producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to
contact us directly at healthinequalities@health-ni.gov.uk with any comments
about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by
emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR
website.
Official
Statistics
This report is an official statistics publication. Official
statistics are statistics produced by Crown bodies and other
organisations listed within an Official Statistics Order, on behalf of
the UK government or devolved administrations. They provide a factual
basis for assessment and decisions on economic, social and environmental
issues at all levels of society. This broad definition of official
statistics means that the scope of official statistics can be adapted
over time to suit changing circumstances.
Deprivation
Measure
The 20% most and least deprived areas are defined according to
the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) 2017.
Rounded
Figures
Some individual figures have been rounded to either zero or one
decimal place independently. As a result, the sum of component items may
not therefore always add to the totals shown.
Key Findings
Current Life Expectancy Estimates
In 2022-24, life expectancy in Northern Ireland (NI) was 78.8 years for males and 82.6 years for females.
Since 1980-82, life expectancy at birth has increased by 7.1 years for females and 9.6 years for males. However, over the last ten years, life expectancy growth has slowed for males while the slowdown in female life expectancy has been evident over the last twelve years.
Among the 11 Local Government Districts (LGD), male life expectancy was highest in the Lisburn & Castlereagh LGD (80.5 years) and lowest in the Belfast LGD (76.5 years). For females, life expectancy was highest in the Lisburn & Castlereagh and Fermanagh & Omagh LGDs (both 83.8 years) and lowest in the Belfast LGD (80.5 years).
Among the five Health & Social Care (HSC) Trust areas, male and female life expectancy were highest in the South Eastern HSC Trust (79.7 years and 83.2 years respectively) and lowest in the Belfast HSC Trust (77.1 years and 81.1 years respectively).
Life Expectancy Trend over the Last 5 Years
While life expectancy at birth has increased by 0.1 years for males and 0.2 years for females since 2018-20, neither change was statistically significant.
A decrease in mortality among males aged 70 years or more, had the largest positive contribution to the change (0.2 years), while increased mortality in males aged 40-69 had the largest negative contribution (-0.2 years).
While reduced mortality, mainly from COVID, Cancers, and mental & behavioural disorders, contributed to a male life expectancy increase of 0.6 years, this increase was largely offset by increased mortality from a range of other causes.
There was little change in female mortality across all age groups. Any minor positive changes among some ages (most notably 80-89 year olds), were mainly negated by small negative changes for other ages (most notably 60-69 year olds).
An increase of 0.5 years in female life expectancy, mainly due to lower mortality from deaths due to COVID, Cancers, and mental & behavioural disorders, was largely offset by 0.3 years due to increased mortality mainly from diseases of the digestive system, accidental causes and a range of other causes.
Male-Female Gap
In 2022-24, females in NI could expect to live 3.8 years longer than males.
Across all age groups, male mortality was higher than that of females, most notably within the 70-79 years age group which contributed 0.8 years to the gap.
Higher male mortality from the combination of circulatory disease (1.1 years), cancer (excluding breast) (1.1 years), and accidental deaths (0.6 years) accounted for 2.8 years of the gap.
Deprivation Gap
In 2022-24, males living in the 20% most deprived areas of NI could expect to live 74.6 years, 7.2 years less than those living in the 20% least deprived areas (81.8 years).
Female life expectancy in the 20% most deprived areas was 79.4 years, 5.5 years fewer than females in the 20% least deprived areas (84.9 years).
For both males and females, mortality across the majority of causes of death was higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived.
Higher mortality from circulatory disease (1.5 years), cancer (1.2 years) and accidental deaths (1.2 years) combined, contributed over half of the male life expectancy deprivation gap. There were also notable contributions from deaths due to digestive diseases (0.7 years), respiratory disease (0.7 years) and Suicide (0.7 years).
Mortality from cancer (1.3 years) was the largest single contributor to the female deprivation gap, almost half of which (0.6 years) was due to lung cancer. Respiratory disease (1.1 years) and circulatory disease (0.8 years) also made notable contributions to the gap.
Healthy and Disability-Free Life Expectancy
Over the last five years, Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) decreased for both males and females, however the change for males was not statistically significant.
Female HLE decreased by 1.9 years from 62.1 years in 2018-20 to 60.2 years in 2022-24. Over the same period, male HLE decreased by 0.8 years from 60.1 to 59.3 years however this change was not statistically significant.
Similar to HLE, female Disability-Free Life Expectancy (DFLE) decreased over the last five years, by 2.4 years, from 59.0 years in 2018-20 to 56.6 years in 2022-24. Over the same period, male DFLE decreased by 1.2 years from 58.2 to 57.1 however this change was not statistically significant.
Between 2018-20 and 2022-24, the male HLE deprivation gap widened by 2.9 years from 12.0 years to 14.9 years. Over the same period, there was no notable change in the female HLE deprivation gap which stood at 14.6 years in 2022-24.
The female DFLE gap between the most and least deprived males narrowed from 12.1 years in 2018-20 to 10.0 years in 2022-24. Over the same period, there was no notable change in the gap for males which stood at 11.8 years in 2022-24.
Life Expectancy at Birth
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person
could expect to live if the current mortality patterns remain constant.
Life expectancy at birth in 2022-24 was 78.8 years for males and 82.6
years for females.
Since 1980-82, life expectancy at birth has increased by 7.1
years for females and 9.6 years for males. However, over the last ten
years, life expectancy growth has slowed for males while the slowdown in
female life expectancy has been evident over the last twelve years.
While the gender gap had generally narrowed since 1980-82, it has
remained fairly steady in recent years and, in 2022-24, females in
Northern Ireland could expect to live 3.8 years longer than males.
Life Expectancy 2022-24
Figure 1. Life expectancy at birth (1980-82 to 2022-24)
Figure 1 (above): line chart illustrating male
and female life expectancy trend from 1980-82 to 2022-24
The increase in life expectancy has slowed in recent years.
While life expectancy at birth increased by 0.1 years for males and 0.2 years for females since 2018-20, the changes were not statistically significant. A similar trend was seen in the previous five-year period (2014-16 to 2018-20).
Figure 2. Life expectancy at birth (2018-20 to
2022-24)
Figure 2 (above): line chart illustrating male and female life expectancy trend over the last five years
Male Life Expectancy over Time: Decomposition
Decomposition by Age
Since 2018-20, there has been no significant change in life
expectancy for males.
A decrease in mortality among males aged 70 years or more, had the largest positive contribution to the change (0.2 years), while increased mortality in males aged 40-69 had the largest negative contribution (-0.2 years). The overall 0.1 years increase in male life expectancy was not statistically significant.
Figure 3. Decomposition of change in male life
expectancy over time by age (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 3 (above): waterfall chart illustrating
the age contribution to the change in male life expectancy over the last
five years
Note: Change was not statistically
significant.
Compared with the previous 5-year period, where the change in male
life expectancy was similar (0.2 years), there were notable differences
in the age contribution to change seen between 2016-18 and 2020-22.
While changes observed over both periods in male life expectancy were not statistically significant, there were differences in how certain age groups contributed. Between 2018-20 and 2022-24, those aged 0-9 seen less of an improvement in life expectancy when compared with the previous 5-year period. In addition, while the 40-49 and 60-69 age groups had a positive impact on the change in life expectancy over the previous period, both age groups had a negative impact between 2018-20 and 2022-24.
Conversely, the 30-39 and 90+ age groups had a positive impact on the change in life expectancy between 2018-20 and 2022-24, while having a negative impact during the previous five-year period. In addition, the 80-89 age group seen more of an improvement in life expectancy when compared with the previous 5-year period.
Figure 4. Decomposition of change in male life
expectancy by age, compared with change over previous 5-year
period
Figure 4 (above): bar chart illustrating the age contribution to the change in male life expectancy over the last five years (shown in Figure 3) compared with changes in previous 5-year period
Decomposition
by Cause of Death
While reduced mortality, mainly from cancer, COVID and mental &
behavioural disorders, contributed to a male life expectancy increase of
0.6 years, this increase was largely offset by increased mortality from
a range of other causes.
Deaths due to lung, prostate and other cancers contributed 0.2 years to the increase in life expectancy. In addition, lower mortality from CHD, pneumonia, mental/behavioural disorders and COVID contributed 0.1 years each to the overall increase (0.6 years in total). However, this increase was almost entirely offset by 0.5 years due to higher mortality from a range of other causes.
Figure 5. Decomposition of change in male life
expectancy over time by cause of death (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 5 (above): treemap illustrating the
contribution to the change in male life expectancy over the last five
years from primary cause of death
Note: Respiratory mortality may be affected by COVID being classified separately from respiratory disease in this analysis. It may also be that some of the improvement in mortality for other causes of death was due to individuals, who otherwise would have been vulnerable to those diseases, passing away due to COVID.
The negative impact from COVID deaths (-0.3 years) and accidental deaths (-0.2 years) seen in the previous five-year period between 2014-16 and 2018-20, did not occur over the last five years. While there was no substantial impact from accidental deaths (0.0 years), COVID deaths decreased over the last five years and had a positive impact on life expectancy (0.1 years).
However, in the previous period, while there were there were notable positive impacts from deaths due to circulatory disease (0.2 years) and respiratory disease (0.2 years), there was almost no improvement for these causes between 2018-20 and 2022-24. In addition the positive impact of cancer mortality on male life expectancy has slowed in the most recent period.
Figure 6. Decomposition of change in male life
expectancy by cause of death, compared with change over previous 5-year
period
Figure 6 (above): bar chart illustrating the cause of death contribution to the change in male life expectancy over the last five years (shown in Figure 5) compared with changes in previous 5-year period
Note: Respiratory mortality may be affected by COVID being classified separately from respiratory disease in this analysis. It may also be that some of the improvement in mortality for other causes of death was due to individuals, who otherwise would have been vulnerable to those diseases, passing away due to COVID.
Female Life Expectancy over Time: Decomposition
Decomposition
by Age
Figure 7. Decomposition of change in female life
expectancy over time by age (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 7 (above): waterfall chart illustrating the age contribution to the change in female life expectancy over the last five years
Note: Change was not statistically significant.
Similar to the previous 5 year period, broadly static mortality in
most age groups made little or no change to female life expectancy from
2018-20 to 2022-24.
Changes in female life expectancy have remained similar to that during the 2014-16 to 2018-20 period, which also saw no significant change. Deaths among those aged 60-69 years saw the largest change, from a 0.1 year positive contribution in the previous five-year period to a -0.1 negative contribution. Improved mortality was only observed in ages 0-9, 50-59 and 80-89 in 2018-20 to 2022-24.
Figure 8. Decomposition of change in female life
expectancy by age, compared with change over previous 5-year
period
Figure 8 (above): bar chart illustrating the age contribution to the change in female life expectancy over the last five years (shown in Figure 7) compared with changes in previous 5-year period
Decomposition
by Cause of Death
Figure 9. Decomposition of change in female life
expectancy over time by cause of death (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 9 (above): treemap illustrating the contribution to the change in female life expectancy over the last five years from primary cause of death
When compared with previous five-year period, the most notable change in the mortality cause contribution was for COVID deaths which decreased female life expectancy by 0.3 years between 2014-16 and 2018-20. In contrast, COVID mortality decreased between 2018-20 and 2022-24 leading to an improvement of 0.1 years.
However, similar to male life expectancy, while there were there were notable positive impacts in the previous five-year period from deaths due to circulatory disease (0.2 years) and respiratory disease (0.1 years), there was almost no improvement for these causes for female life expectancy between 2018-20 and 2022-24 .In addition while there was no impact from digestive disease mortality over the previous period, it had a negative impact of 0.1 years on the change over the most recent period.
Figure 10. Decomposition of change in female life
expectancy by cause of death, compared with change over the previous
5-year period
Figure 10 (above): bar chart illustrating the cause of death contribution to the change in female life expectancy over the last five years (shown in Figure 9) compared with changes in previous 5-year period
Note: Respiratory mortality
may be affected by COVID being classified separately from respiratory
disease in this analysis. It may also be that some of the improvement in
mortality for other causes of death was due to individuals, who
otherwise would have been vulnerable to those diseases, passing away due
to COVID.
Male-Female Life Expectancy Gap Decomposition
Decomposition
by Age
Figure 11. Decomposition of male-female life expectancy
gap by age
Figure 11 (above): waterfall chart illustrating the age contribution to the difference in life expectancy between males and females
The contribution of each age group to the male-female gap in 2022-24 was similar to that in 2018-20. Higher mortality among males at older ages continued to provide the largest contribution to the life expectancy gap.
While there were slight decreases in mortality contributions to the gap across most age groups in 2022-24 compared with 2018-20, there was an increased mortality contribution from the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups.
Figure 12. Contribution of age groups to changes in
the male-female life expectancy gap, 2022-24 compared with
2018-20
Figure 12 (above): bar chart illustrating the age contribution to the male-female life expectancy gap (shown in Figure 11) compared with five years previous
Decomposition by Cause of Death
In 2022-24, higher mortality among males for circulatory causes (1.1 years), cancer (excluding breast cancer) (1.1 years) and accidental deaths (0.6 years) contributed 2.8 years to the life expectancy gap between males and females. Approximately one-fifth of the gap that occurred where mortality was higher among males was attributable to coronary heart disease. A further 0.4 years of the gap was due to higher mortality among males from suicide.
Higher mortality among males led to a 4.2 years gap in life expectancy between males and females however, this was offset slightly by 0.4 years due to higher female mortality from breast cancer.
Figure 13. Decomposition of male-female life expectancy
gap by cause of death
Figure 13 (above): treemap illustrating the primary cause of death contribution to the gap in life expectancy between males and females
There has been little change in the pattern of contribution to the male-female life expectancy gap by different causes of death since 2018-20.
Higher mortality among males from circulatory disease, cancer, accidental deaths and suicide continue to be the largest contributors to the male-female life expectancy gap, with very little change in the contribution of male mortality among all causes when compared to 2018-20.
Figure 14. Decomposition of male-female life
expectancy gap by cause of death, 2022-24 compared with
2018-20
Figure 14 (above): bar chart illustrating the cause of death contribution to the male-female life expectancy gap (shown in Figure 13) compared with five years previous
Life Expectancy Deprivation Gap: Decomposition
Figure 15. Male life expectancy by deprivation (2018-20
to 2022-24)
Figure 15 (above): line chart illustrating male life expectancy trend for the 20% most and 20% least deprived areas over the last five years
Figure 16. Female life expectancy by deprivation (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 16 (above): line chart illustrating female life expectancy trend for the 20% most and 20% least deprived areas over the last five years
The life expectancy gap between the 20% most and least deprived areas was higher among males than females in 2022-24.
While the male life expectancy gap widened by 0.3 years between 2018-20 and 2022-24, the change was not statistically significant. Over the same period, the female life expectancy deprivation gap widened from 5.0 years in 2018-20 to 5.5 years in 2022-24.Figure 17. Male and female life expectancy deprivation gap (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 17 (above): line chart illustrating trend in male and female life expectancy deprivation gaps over the last five years
Male
Decomposition by Age
In 2022-24, life expectancy for males living in the 20% most deprived areas of NI was 74.6 years. This was 7.2 years less than those in the 20% least deprived areas (81.8 years).
Mortality across almost all age groups contributed towards the male life expectancy deprivation gap, with higher mortality in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived. The exception was mortality rates for males aged 90 and over, which were higher in the least deprived areas. This was likely due to a larger proportion of the population in the least deprived areas surviving into this age group.Figure 18. Decomposition of male life expectancy deprivation gap by age
Figure 18 (above): waterfall chart illustrating the age contribution to the difference in male life expectancy between the 20% most deprived and 20% least deprived areas
The age contribution to the male deprivation gap in 2022-24 was similar to that in 2018-20, with higher mortality among 40-79 year-olds the largest contributor.
While there was an increased contribution to the deprivation gap from mortality among males aged 50-69 years, there was a notable decrease in the 70-79 year old contribution.
Higher mortality among those aged between 50-69 in the most deprived areas continue to contribute the most to the deprivation gap.Figure 19. Contribution of age groups to differences in the male Life expectancy deprivation gap, 2022-24 compared with 2018-20
Figure 19 (above): bar chart illustrating the age contribution to the male life expectancy deprivation gap compared with five years previous
Male
Decomposition by Cause of Death
Mortality across almost all causes of death was higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived.
The majority of causes of death for males were higher in the 20% most deprived areas when compared with the 20% least deprived areas. Higher mortality from circulatory disease (1.5 years), cancer (1.2 years) and accidental (1.2 years) combined, contributed just over half the male life expectancy deprivation gap. Suicide contributed a further 0.7 years to the gap.Figure 20. Decomposition of male life expectancy deprivation gap by cause of death
Figure 20 (above): treemap illustrating the contribution to the male deprivation gap from primary cause of death
The contribution by different causes of death to the male life expectancy deprivation gap has followed a similar pattern since 2018-20, with the notable exceptions for COVID and respiratory deaths.
While deaths from COVID contributed 0.8 years to the male deprivation gap in 2018-20, the contribution decreased to 0.1 years in 2022-24. The opposite was true for respiratory deaths in that the contribution to the gap increased from 0.1 years in 2018-20 to 0.7 years in 2022-24. However, it may be that the low contribution to the gap in 2018-20 from respiratory mortality may have been due to individuals, who otherwise would have been vulnerable to death from respiratory disease, passing away due to COVID.
Higher mortality from circulatory disease, cancer, digestive disease, respiratory disease, suicide and accidents among males in the 20% most deprived areas continue to be the largest contributors to the life expectancy deprivation gap.
Figure 21. Decomposition of male life expectancy gap by
cause of death, 2022-24 compared with 2018-20
Figure 21 (above): bar chart illustrating the
cause of death contribution to the male life expectancy deprivation gap
compared with five years previous
Note: Respiratory mortality may be affected by COVID being classified separately from respiratory disease in this analysis. It may also be that some of the improvement in mortality for other causes of death was due to individuals, who otherwise would have been vulnerable to those diseases, passing away due to COVID.
Female
Decomposition by Age
Life expectancy for females living in the 20% most deprived areas in NI was 79.4 years. This was 5.5 years less than those in the 20% least deprived areas (84.9 years).
Approximately, two-thirds of the contribution to the total female life expectancy deprivation gap was from the 50-79 age group (3.5 years). This was largely attributable to higher mortality from chronic lower respiratory disease and lung cancer combined (1.1 years) in the most deprived areas. The mortality rate for females aged 90+ in the least deprived areas was slightly higher than in the most deprived areas. As with males, this is likely due to a larger proportion of females from the least deprived areas living beyond 90 years.
Figure 22. Decomposition of female life expectancy
deprivation gap by age
Figure 22 (above): waterfall chart illustrating the age contribution to the difference in female life expectancy between the 20% most deprived and 20% least deprived areas
As with males, in 2022-24 the age contribution to the female life expectancy deprivation gap remains similar to that in 2018-20.
Higher mortality among 60-69 year olds in the most deprived areas in 2022-24 contributed 0.2 years more to the deprivation gap than in 2018-20. While mortality among those aged 90+ is normally higher in the least deprived areas than most deprived areas (due to more females in the least deprived areas surviving to this age) there was less of an impact in 2022-24 .Figure 23. Contribution of age groups to differences in the female life expectancy deprivation gap, 2022-24 compared with 2018-20
Figure 23 (above): bar chart illustrating the age contribution to the female life expectancy deprivation gap compared with five years previous
Female
Decomposition by Cause of Death
Mortality from cancer (1.3 years) was the largest single contributor to the female deprivation gap, almost half of which (0.6 years) was due to lung cancer.
Respiratory diseases contributed 1.1 years to the gap, of which 0.7 years were attributable to chronic lower respiratory illnesses. Circulatory disease (0.8 years) and accidental deaths (0.6 years) also contributed markedly to the gap .Figure 24. Decomposition of female life expectancy deprivation gap by cause of death
Figure 24 (above): treemap illustrating the contribution to the female deprivation gap from primary cause of death
Between 2018-20 and 2022-24, with the exception of deaths due to digestive disorders and accidental deaths, there has been little change in the causes of death that contributed to the female life expectancy deprivation gap.
Deaths due to digestive disorders contributed 0.6 years to the life expectancy gap in 2022-24 compared with 0.4 years in 2020-22. Over the same period, the contribution to the gap from accidental deaths increased by 0.1 years.Figure 25. Decomposition of female life expectancy gap by cause of death, 2022-24 compared with 2018-20
Figure 25 (above): bar chart illustrating the
cause of death contribution to the female life expectancy deprivation
gap compared with five years previous
Note: Respiratory mortality may be affected by COVID being classified separately from respiratory disease in this analysis. It may also be that some of the improvement in mortality for other causes of death was due to individuals, who otherwise would have been vulnerable to those diseases, passing away due to COVID.
Life Expectancy by HSC Trust
In 2022-24, male life expectancy at birth ranged from 77.1 years in the Belfast Trust to 79.7 years in the South Eastern Trust.
Although male life expectancy estimates were slightly lower in 2022-24 than in 2018-20 for the Southern and Northern Trusts, these changes were not statistically significant.
While Belfast Trust had the lowest male life expectancy among the five Trusts, it was the only Trust to see a significant improvement between 2018-20 and 2022-24, where life expectancy increased by 0.7 years.
Figure 26. Male life expectancy at birth by Trust
(2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 26 (above): line chart illustrating the
the change in male life expectancy over the last five years within
Northern Ireland and the five HSC Trust areas
Note: It is important to note that
as population sizes are lower at Trust/LGD level than for NI, the
resulting confidence intervals around estimates are wider and therefore
relatively greater changes in estimates are required for changes to be
deemed statistically significant.
Life expectancy at birth for females ranged from 81.1 years in the Belfast Trust to 83.2 years in the South Eastern Trust.
Since 2016-18, there has been no significant changes in female life expectancy in any of the five HSC Trusts however there were improving trends seen with Belfast and Northern Trust life expectancy.
Figure 27. Female life expectancy at birth by Trust
(2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 27 (above): line chart illustrating the
the change in female life expectancy over the last five years within
Northern Ireland and the five HSC Trust areas
Note: It is important to note that as population sizes are lower at Trust/LGD level than for NI, the resulting confidence intervals around estimates are wider and therefore relatively greater changes in estimates are required for changes to be deemed statistically significant.
Deaths from cancer, accidents, respiratory disease, circulatory disease, and ‘Other Causes’ were the main contributors to the male life expectancy gap with the NI average for most of the Trusts.
In 2022-24, male life expectancy was similar to, or above the NI average for all Trusts with the exception of Belfast where life expectancy was 1.7 years lower. This was mainly due to higher mortality from ‘Other Causes’ of death, cancer, circulatory disease, respiratory disease and accidental deaths.
The South Eastern Trust was the only area where life expectancy was significantly higher than the NI average, with more than half of the 0.9 years difference being attributable to lower mortality from cancer, circulatory and respiratory disease.
Figure 28. Decomposition of male life expectancy
(2022-24) gaps: Trusts compared with NI
Figure 28 (above): stacked bar chart
illustrating the main causes of death contributing to the male life
expectancy gaps between each of the five HSC Trust areas and the
Northern Ireland average.
Note:
for each area, the life expectancy gap with the NI average has been
broken down into its largest contributory causes of death. The
contribution from other causes, including those that had an adverse
affect, are combined into the ‘Other Causes’ category. A more detailed
breakdown is available in the accompanying tables.
Deaths from cancer, respiratory disease, diseases of the nervous system and the sense organs, and grouped ‘Other Causes’ were the main contributors to the female life expectancy gap between Trusts and the NI average.
Female life expectancy in the Belfast Trust was significantly lower than the NI average, largely due to higher cancer and respiratory mortality rates and deaths from ‘Other Causes’. Life expectancy in the Northern, South Eastern and Southern Trusts was higher than the NI average while the estimate for the Western Trust was similar to the NI average.
Figure 29. Decomposition of female life expectancy
(2022-24) gaps: Trusts compared with with NI
Figure 29 (above): stacked bar chart
illustrating the main causes of death contributing to the female life
expectancy gaps between each of the five HSC Trust areas and the
Northern Ireland average.
Note:
for each area, the life expectancy gap with the NI average has been
broken down into its largest contributory causes of death. The
contribution from other causes, including those that had an adverse
affect, are combined into the ‘Other Causes’ category. A more detailed
breakdown is available in the accompanying tables.
Life Expectancy by HSC Local Government District
Across LGDs in 2022-24, male life expectancy at birth ranged from 76.5 years in Belfast to 80.5 years in Lisburn and Castlereagh.
While male life expectancy was higher in six of the eleven LGDs in 2022-24 compared with estimates in 2020-22 (most notably Belfast and Fermanagh & Omagh LGDs) these differences were not statistically significant.
Figure 30. Male life expectancy at birth by Local
Government District (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 30 (above): line chart illustrating the
the change in male life expectancy over the last five years within
Northern Ireland and the eleven Local Government District areas.
Note: As population sizes are lower at Trust/LGD level than for NI, the resulting confidence intervals around estimates are wider and therefore relatively greater changes in estimates are required for changes to be deemed statistically significant.
Female life expectancy was highest in both Lisburn and Castlereagh and Fermanagh & Omagh (83.8 years) and lowest in Belfast (80.5 years).
Between 2018-20 and 2022-24, female life expectancy increased in eight of the eleven LGDs, most notably in Ards & North Down, and Mid & East Antrim LGDs (0.7 years respectively) however, these changes were not statistically significant. However, there was a notable improving trend seen for life expectancy within the Mid and East Antrim LGD.
Figure 31. Female life expectancy at birth by Local
Government District (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 31 (above): line chart illustrating the the change in female life expectancy over the last five years within Northern Ireland and the eleven Local Government District areas
Note: It is important to note that as population sizes are lower at Trust/LGD level than for NI, the resulting confidence intervals around estimates are wider and therefore relatively greater changes in estimates are required for changes to be deemed statistically significant.
Deaths from cancer, circulatory disease, respiratory disease and ‘Other Causes’ were the main contributors to the male life expectancy gap with the NI average for most of the LGDs.
Male life expectancy was significantly lower than the NI average in Derry City & Strabane and Belfast LGDs. Reduced life expectancy in Belfast was due to higher mortality from ‘Other Causes’, cancer, circulatory disease, accidental deaths, respiratory illness and digestive disorders. Over 0.5 years of the gap between Derry City & Strabane LGD and the NI average was due to cancer and respiratory disease.
Male life expectancy was higher than the NI average in the majority of the other LGDs, however these differences were only significant in Ards & North Down, Fermanagh & Omagh, and Lisburn & Castlereagh LGDs. Males in Lisburn & Castlereagh LGD (80.5 years) had the highest life expectancy in Northern Ireland, 1.7 years higher than the NI average for males, with cancer being the largest contributor to the gap.
Figure 32. Decomposition of male life expectancy
(2022-24) gaps: Local Government Districts compared with NI
Figure 32 (above): stacked bar chart
illustrating the main causes of death contributing to the male life
expectancy gaps between each of the eleven LGD areas and the Northern
Ireland average.
Note: for each
area, the life expectancy gap with the NI average has been broken down
into its largest contributory causes of death. The contribution from
other causes, including those that had an adverse affect, are combined
into the ‘Other Causes’ category. A more detailed breakdown is available
in the accompanying tables.
Deaths from cancer, circulatory disease, respiratory disease and ‘Other Causes’ were the main contributors to the female life expectancy gap with NI for most LGDs.
Female life expectancy was significantly lower than the NI average in the Belfast and Derry City & Strabane LGDs. Life expectancy was higher than the NI average in the majority of the other LGDs, however these differences were only significant in Ards & North Down, Fermanagh & Omagh, Lisburn & Castlereagh, and Mid Ulster LGDs.
Figure 33. Decomposition of female life expectancy
(2022-24) gaps: Local Government Districts compared with NI
Figure 33 (above): stacked bar chart
illustrating the main causes of death contributing to the female life
expectancy gaps between each of the eleven LGD areas and the Northern
Ireland average.
Note: for each
area, the life expectancy gap with the NI average has been broken down
into its largest contributory causes of death. The contribution from
other causes, including those that had an adverse affect, are combined
into the ‘Other Causes’ category. A more detailed breakdown is available
in the accompanying tables.
Additional Health Expectancies
Life expectancy at age 65 in 2022-24 was 18.6 years for males and 20.8 years for females.
Life expectancy at 65 remained similar for both males and females between 2018-20 and 2022-24.
Figure 34. Male and female life expectancy at age 65
(2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 34 (above): line chart illustrating male and female life expectancy at age 65 trend over the last five years
Males and females could both expect to live around three-quarters of their lives in good health.
In 2022-24, males could expect to live 59.3 years in good health, while females could expect to live 60.2 years. Disability free life expectancy (DFLE) was 57.1 years for males and 56.6 years for females.
For both Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) and DFLE, the gender gap is not as wide as that for life expectancy at birth.
Figure 35. Healthy and disability free life expectancy
(2022-24)
Figure 35 (above): bar chart illustrating male and female healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy compared with overall life expectancy in 2022-24
Between 2018-20 and 2022-24, HLE decreased for both males and females however, the decrease for males was not statistically significant.
Male HLE decreased by 0.8 years from 60.1 years in 2018-20 to 59.3 years in 2022-24. Over the same period, female HLE decreased significantly by 1.9 years from 62.1 to 60.2 years.
Similarly, while DFLE decreased for males and females over the last five years, the change for males was not statistically significant. Male DFLE decreased by 1.2 years from 58.2 years in 2018-20 to 57.1 years in 2022-24 while female DFLE decreased significantly over the period by 2.4 years from 59.0 to 56.6 years.
Figure 36. Healthy and disability free life expectancy
(2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 36 (above): line chart illustrating male and female healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy trends over the last five years
Since 2018-20 the healthy life expectancy deprivation gap has not significantly changed for females whereas the gap widened for males.
In 2022-24, the HLE gap between the 20% most and least deprived stood at 14.9 years for males compared with 12.0 years in 2018-20. The female HLE gap stood at 14.6 years in 2022-24 which was similar to 2018-20 (14.7 years).
The deprivation gaps for HLE were notably wider than the gaps for life expectancy at birth.
Figure 37. Healthy life expectancy deprivation gap
(2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 37 (above): line chart illustrating trends in the gaps between the 20% most and 20% least deprived areas for male and female healthy life expectancy over the last five years
While the DFLE gap between the most and least deprived females narrowed from 12.1 years in 2018-20 to 10.0 years in 2022-24, the gap for males in 2022-24 (11.8 years) was similar to the gap in 2018-20 (11.4 years).
As with HLE, the deprivation gap for DFLE was notably wider than the gap for life expectancy at birth.
Figure 38. Disability free life expectancy deprivation
gap (2018-20 to 2022-24)
Figure 38 (above): line chart illustrating
trends in the gaps between the 20% most and 20% least deprived areas for
male and female disability free life expectancy over the last five
years
Appendix A: Tables
Table 1. NI Life Expectancies 2018-20 to 2022-24
(years)
| 2018-20 | 2019-21 | 2020-22 | 2021-23 | 2022-24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male Life Expectancy at Birth | 78.7 | 78.5 | 78.4 | 78.8 | 78.8 |
| Male Life Expectancy at 65 | 18.5 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 18.5 | 18.6 |
| Male Healthy Life Expectancy | 60.1 | 60.6 | 61.2 | 60.3 | 59.3 |
| Male Disability Free Life Expectancy | 58.2 | 58.6 | 59.2 | 58.2 | 57.1 |
| Female Life Expectancy at Birth | 82.4 | 82.3 | 82.3 | 82.5 | 82.6 |
| Female Life Expectancy at 65 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.6 | 20.7 | 20.8 |
| Female Healthy Life Expectancy | 62.1 | 62.7 | 62.7 | 61.4 | 60.2 |
| Female Disability Free Life Expectancy | 59.0 | 58.7 | 58.5 | 57.4 | 56.6 |
| Note: | |||||
| All figures in years. |
Table 2a. Change in Life Expectancy over Time (2018-20
to 2022-24)
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-20 Life Expectancy (Years) | 78.7 | 82.4 |
| 2022-24 Life Expectancy (Years) | 78.8 | 82.6 |
| Total Change | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 2b. Age Contribution to Change in Life Expectancy
over Time (2018-20 to 2022-24)
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0.01 | 0.07 |
| 10-19 | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| 20-29 | 0.00 | -0.03 |
| 30-39 | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| 40-49 | -0.06 | 0.02 |
| 50-59 | -0.06 | 0.06 |
| 60-69 | -0.06 | -0.07 |
| 70-79 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| 80-89 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| 90+ | 0.01 | -0.02 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 2c. Category of Death Contribution to Change in
Life Expectancy over Time (2018-20 to 2022-24)
| Category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Respiratory | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| COVID | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| Cancer | 0.18 | 0.17 |
| Metabolic | -0.07 | -0.03 |
| Mental | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Nervous | -0.06 | -0.01 |
| Accidental | -0.08 | -0.12 |
| Suicide | 0.00 | -0.04 |
| Digestive | -0.03 | 0.01 |
| Genitourinary | -0.01 | -0.01 |
| Maternal/Infant | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| Other | -0.02 | -0.05 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 2d. Primary Cause of Death Contribution to Change
in Life Expectancy over Time (2018-20 to 2022-24)
| Cause | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| CHD | 0.09 | 0.05 |
| Stroke | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Other Circulatory | -0.09 | -0.06 |
| Pneumonia | 0.06 | 0.07 |
| Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease | 0.01 | -0.02 |
| Other Respiratory | -0.07 | -0.04 |
| COVID | 0.07 | 0.10 |
| Lung | 0.09 | 0.11 |
| Breast | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| Prostate | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Colorectal | -0.02 | -0.04 |
| Lymphatic | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Pancreatic | -0.01 | -0.01 |
| Other Cancer | 0.08 | 0.01 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | -0.05 | 0.00 |
| Other Metabolic | -0.02 | -0.02 |
| Mental & Behavioural | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Nervous System | -0.06 | -0.01 |
| Chronic Liver Disease | -0.05 | -0.04 |
| Other Digestive | -0.04 | -0.07 |
| Transport accidents | -0.02 | 0.01 |
| Accidents | 0.01 | -0.05 |
| Suicide | -0.03 | 0.01 |
| Kidney Disease | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Other Genitourinary | -0.01 | -0.01 |
| Perinatal | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Congenital | 0.00 | 0.03 |
| Other Causes of Death | -0.02 | -0.05 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 3a. Male-Female Life Expectancy Gap (2018-20 and
2022-24)
| 2018-20 | 2022-24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male Life Expectancy (Years) | 78.7 | 78.8 |
| Female Life Expectancy (Years) | 82.4 | 82.6 |
| Male-Female Gap | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 3b. Age Contribution to Male-Female Life
Expectancy Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Age | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0.05 | 0.11 |
| 10-19 | 0.08 | 0.07 |
| 20-29 | 0.35 | 0.31 |
| 30-39 | 0.36 | 0.32 |
| 40-49 | 0.27 | 0.35 |
| 50-59 | 0.36 | 0.48 |
| 60-69 | 0.65 | 0.65 |
| 70-79 | 0.79 | 0.78 |
| 80-89 | 0.64 | 0.63 |
| 90+ | 0.16 | 0.14 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 3c. Category of Death Contribution to Male-Female
Life Expectancy Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Category | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory | 1.13 | 1.14 |
| Respiratory | 0.27 | 0.27 |
| COVID | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Cancer | 0.72 | 0.69 |
| Metabolic | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Mental | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| Nervous | 0.04 | 0.11 |
| Digestive | 0.21 | 0.20 |
| Accidental | 0.61 | 0.58 |
| Suicide | 0.38 | 0.43 |
| Genitourinary | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Maternal/Infant | 0.04 | 0.10 |
| Other | 0.09 | 0.07 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 3d. Primary Cause of Death Contribution to
Male-Female Life Expectancy Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Cause | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| CHD | 0.88 | 0.81 |
| Stroke | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| Other Circulatory | 0.19 | 0.24 |
| Pneumonia | 0.06 | 0.04 |
| Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease | 0.09 | 0.06 |
| Other Respiratory | 0.12 | 0.17 |
| COVID | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Lung | 0.19 | 0.19 |
| Breast | -0.44 | -0.37 |
| Prostate | 0.34 | 0.31 |
| Colorectal | 0.12 | 0.11 |
| Lymphatic | 0.09 | 0.11 |
| Pancreatic | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Other | 0.36 | 0.28 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 0.03 | 0.08 |
| Other Metabolic | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Mental & Behavioural | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| Nervous System | 0.04 | 0.11 |
| Chronic Liver Disease | 0.12 | 0.13 |
| Other Digestive | 0.09 | 0.07 |
| Transport accidents | 0.08 | 0.11 |
| Accidents | 0.52 | 0.47 |
| Suicide | 0.38 | 0.43 |
| Kidney Disease | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Other Genitourinary | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Perinatal | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Congenital | 0.02 | 0.04 |
| Other Causes of Death | 0.09 | 0.07 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 4a. Male Life Expectancy Deprivation Gap (2018-20
and 2022-24)
| 2018-20 | 2022-24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Most Deprived (Years) | 74.5 | 74.6 |
| Least Deprived (Years) | 81.4 | 81.8 |
| Total Gap | 6.9 | 7.2 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 4b. Age Contribution to Male Life Expectancy
Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Age | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0.19 | 0.30 |
| 10-19 | 0.10 | 0.12 |
| 20-29 | 0.59 | 0.58 |
| 30-39 | 0.67 | 0.72 |
| 40-49 | 0.97 | 1.09 |
| 50-59 | 1.32 | 1.56 |
| 60-69 | 1.49 | 1.57 |
| 70-79 | 1.24 | 1.03 |
| 80-89 | 0.44 | 0.32 |
| 90+ | -0.11 | -0.14 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 4c. Category of Death Contribution to Male Life
Expectancy Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Category | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory | 1.30 | 1.50 |
| Respiratory | 0.13 | 0.68 |
| COVID | 0.80 | 0.08 |
| Cancer | 1.27 | 1.20 |
| Metabolic | 0.17 | 0.25 |
| Mental | 0.27 | 0.17 |
| Nervous | 0.06 | 0.11 |
| Digestive | 0.83 | 0.73 |
| Accidental | 1.16 | 1.22 |
| Suicide | 0.46 | 0.69 |
| Genitourinary | 0.04 | 0.05 |
| Maternal/Infant | 0.15 | 0.22 |
| Other | 0.27 | 0.26 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 4d. Primary Cause of Death Contribution to Male
Life Expectancy Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Cause | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| CHD | 0.82 | 0.90 |
| Stroke | 0.18 | 0.19 |
| Other Circulatory | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| Pneumonia | 0.11 | 0.09 |
| Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease | 0.58 | 0.51 |
| Other Respiratory | 0.11 | 0.08 |
| COVID | 0.13 | 0.08 |
| Lung | 0.74 | 0.61 |
| Breast | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Prostate | 0.02 | 0.06 |
| Colorectal | 0.04 | 0.08 |
| Lymphatic | 0.00 | -0.03 |
| Pancreatic | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Other | 0.43 | 0.45 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 0.11 | 0.17 |
| Other Metabolic | 0.05 | 0.08 |
| Mental & Behavioural | 0.27 | 0.17 |
| Nervous System | 0.06 | 0.11 |
| Chronic Liver Disease | 0.54 | 0.48 |
| Other Digestive | 0.28 | 0.25 |
| Transport accidents | 0.08 | 0.07 |
| Accidents | 1.08 | 1.15 |
| Suicide | 0.46 | 0.69 |
| Kidney Disease | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Other Genitourinary | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Perinatal | 0.11 | 0.12 |
| Congenital | 0.04 | 0.10 |
| Other Causes of Death | 0.27 | 0.26 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 5a. Female Life Expectancy Deprivation Gap
(2018-20 and 2022-24)
| 2018-20 | 2022-24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Most Deprived (Years) | 79.3 | 79.4 |
| Least Deprived (Years) | 84.3 | 84.9 |
| Total Gap | 5.0 | 5.5 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 5b. Age Contribution to Female Life Expectancy
Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Age | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0.14 | 0.14 |
| 10-19 | 0.09 | 0.05 |
| 20-29 | 0.15 | 0.28 |
| 30-39 | 0.28 | 0.29 |
| 40-49 | 0.56 | 0.55 |
| 50-59 | 0.92 | 0.97 |
| 60-69 | 1.25 | 1.41 |
| 70-79 | 1.28 | 1.17 |
| 80-89 | 0.60 | 0.68 |
| 90+ | -0.22 | -0.09 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 5c. Category of Death Contribution to Female Life
Expectancy Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Category | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Circulatory | 0.80 | 0.82 |
| Respiratory | 1.01 | 1.05 |
| COVID | 0.07 | 0.11 |
| Cancer | 1.37 | 1.32 |
| Metabolic | 0.24 | 0.18 |
| Mental | 0.10 | 0.14 |
| Nervous | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Digestive | 0.39 | 0.63 |
| Accidental | 0.50 | 0.60 |
| Suicide | 0.20 | 0.19 |
| Genitourinary | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Maternal/Infant | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| Other | 0.19 | 0.24 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Table 5d. Primary Cause of Death Contribution to Male
Life Expectancy Deprivation Gap (2018-20 and 2022-24)
| Cause | 2018-20 | 2022-24 |
|---|---|---|
| CHD | 0.40 | 0.40 |
| Stroke | 0.12 | 0.19 |
| Other Circulatory | 0.28 | 0.23 |
| Pneumonia | 0.11 | 0.16 |
| Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease | 0.83 | 0.71 |
| Other Respiratory | 0.07 | 0.18 |
| COVID | 0.07 | 0.11 |
| Lung | 0.78 | 0.58 |
| Breast | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| Prostate | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Colorectal | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Lymphatic | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| Pancreatic | 0.07 | 0.05 |
| Other | 0.38 | 0.56 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 0.16 | 0.09 |
| Other Metabolic | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| Mental & Behavioural | 0.10 | 0.14 |
| Nervous System | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Chronic Liver Disease | 0.23 | 0.33 |
| Other Digestive | 0.15 | 0.30 |
| Transport accidents | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Accidents | 0.48 | 0.57 |
| Suicide | 0.20 | 0.19 |
| Kidney Disease | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Other Genitourinary | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Perinatal | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Congenital | 0.07 | 0.06 |
| Other Causes of Death | 0.19 | 0.24 |
| Note: | ||
| All figures in years. |
Appendix B: Technical Notes & Definitions
Official Figures
Life Expectancy
Life Expectancy Gap
This is defined as the difference between life expectancy
estimates, either between two populations at a given point in time, or
within a single population between two points of time.
Contributions to Life Expectancy Gap
Life Expectancy Decomposition
Methodology
Healthy Life Expectancy and Disability-Free Life
Expectancy
Healthy Life Expectancy is the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health. HLE provides an estimate of lifetime spent in ‘Very Good’ or ‘Good’ health, calculated using respondents’ perception of their own health according to the Health Survey Northern Ireland (HSNI). Disability-Free Life Expectancy is the average number of years a person can expect to live disability free. DFLE provides an estimate of lifetime spent free from a limiting persistent (twelve months or more) illness or disability, based upon a self-rated functional assessment of health recorded in the HSNI. Each figure is calculated using the Sullivan6 method excluding populations that reside in communal establishments.
It should be noted that due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, data collection between 2020/21 and 2022/23 for the HSNI moved from face-to-face interviewing to telephone mode. This may have influenced the responses given by respondents. In addition, the sample size was lower as a result and children were not included. To ensure the figures remained as representative as possible of the entire population, data relating to children in 2019 was held constant from 2020 to 2022.
Rounded Figures
Sources of Information
Year of Death
Cause of Death Classification
Review of Suicide Statistics in Northern
Ireland
Suicide deaths in Northern Ireland are defined as deaths from Self-inflicted Injury (also referred to as intentional selfharm) as well as Events of Undetermined Intent. This is consistent with the UK National Statistics definition. A death which is suspected to be suicide must be referred to the Coroner, with the information provided by coroners at registration of the death then used to code the underlying cause of death. In some instances, it can be difficult to establish whether the cause of death was suicide. If it is not clear, or the Coroner has not specifically stated that it is a suicide, these are coded as ‘Undetermined’.
Following a quality exercise between NISRA Vital Statistics Unit and the Coroners’ Service, to better understand drug related deaths and intent, improvements have been made in order to reduce the number of deaths coded as ‘Undetermined’. This process highlighted that some deaths coded as ‘Undetermined’ would be better classified as ‘Drug-related’, ‘Accidental’ or ‘Intentional self-harm and event of undetermined intent (Suicide)’. The review of suicide statistics was completed in November 2022. In previous reports issued while the review was ongoing, individual values were not reported for ‘Accidental’ or ‘Intentional self-harm and event of undetermined intent (Suicide)’ categories. Instead, these categories were added to the ‘Other causes’ category. Since the review was completed, this publication has resumed reporting changes and gaps in life expectancy based deaths due to suicide, in line with analysis included prior to the 2017-19 report.
Further information on this review and detailed statistics on the number of suicides registered each year in Northern Ireland can be accessed at the link below.https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/suicide-statistics
Causes of Death ICD-10 Definitions
| Cause | ICD-10.code |
|---|---|
| Diseases of the circulatory system (Circulatory) | I00-I99 |
| Ischaemic heart disease (CHD) | I20-I25 |
| Cerebrovascular disease (stroke) | I60-I69 |
| All other diseases of the circulatory system | |
| Diseases of the respiratory system (Respiratory) | J00-J99 |
| Pneumonia | J12-J18 |
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases | J40-J47 |
| All other diseases of the respiratory system | |
| Deaths due to COVID | U07.1, U07.2, U10.9 |
| Malignant neoplasms (Cancer) | C00-C99 |
| Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus or lung | C33-C34 |
| Malignant neoplasm of breast | C50 |
| Malignant neoplasm of prostate | C61 |
| Malignant neoplasm of colon, rectum and anus | C18-C21 |
| Malignant neoplasm of lymphatic, haematopoietic tissue | C81-C96 |
| Malignant neoplasm of pancreas | C25 |
| All other malignant neoplasms | |
| Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (Metabolic) | E00-E90 |
| Diabetes mellitus | E10-E14 |
| All other endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases | |
| Mental and behavioural diseases (Mental) | F00-F99 |
| Diseases of the nervous system and the sense organs (Nervous) | G00-H95 |
| Diseases of the digestive system (Digestive) | K00-K93 |
| Chronic liver disease | K70, K73-K74 |
| All other diseases of the digestive system | |
| Accidents | V01-X59, Y85, Y86 |
| Transport accidents | V01-V99 |
| All other accidents | |
| Intentional self-harm and event of undetermined intent (Suicide) | X60-X84, Y10-Y34, Y87.0, Y87.2 |
| Diseases of the genitourinary system (Genitourinary) | N00-N99 |
| Diseases of the kidney and ureter | N00-N29 |
| All other diseases of the genitourinary system | |
| Maternal/Infant | |
| Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period | P00-P96 |
| Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities | Q00-Q99 |
| Other causes including all causes not covered by the above categories |
Other regular reports in this series
include
Health Inequalities Annual Report – This annual publication
analyses health inequality gaps within NI and presents a comprehensive
analysis of health inequality gaps between the most and least deprived
areas of NI, and within HSC Trust and LGD areas across a range of
indicators.
Making Life Better: Key Indicators – Monitoring report for the key indicators of the wider social determinants of health & wellbeing, contained in the Making Life Better, the public health strategic framework for NI.