An increasing proportion of premature deaths in the UK are 'preventable'

Essentially a preventable death is caused by our actions as individuals; our conduct to both ourselves and one another. 

A death is preventable if all or most deaths from that cause could be avoided by public health interventions in the broadest sense. Lung cancer is an example of a preventable death, as the majority of deaths from lung cancer can be attributed to smoking. In fact, almost half of premature mortality (deaths under the age of 75) can be explained by neoplasms (such as lung cancer), with a large portion of the remainder caused by cardiovascular issues and drug and alcohol abuse. 

Both preventable and premature mortality are falling, however preventable mortality is falling much more slowly, with premature mortality falling 1.3% year on year and preventable mortality falling 0.3% year on year.

This chart provides increasing evidence for the benefits of a better public health system, leading to benefits to our wellbeing and national finances.

Data sources

The WHO produces detailed mortality data for many countries, often running back 20 or 30 years. These data are publicly available and use ICD-10 codes (with the most recent data) to categorise mortality in each country.

Our definition of preventable deaths follows that chosen by Page A, Tobias M, Glover J, Wright C, Hetzel D and Fisher E (2006) ‘Australian and New Zealand Atlas of Avoidable Mortality’, University of Adelaide: Adelaide: PHIDU. 

WHO mortality database - http://www.who.int/healthinfo/mortality_data/en/