A third of all deaths 'premature'

Monday 16 October 2017

Cancer was the biggest killer in the island last year.

According to the latest figures published by the States Statistics Unit, on average one in every three deaths in 2016 was due to cancer.

The next biggest killers were circulatory and respiratory diseases. Together the three causes accounted for almost three-quarters of all deaths.

The report says the ‘average’ age at which people died in the island last year was 78. With woman on average living slightly longer than men, 81 as opposed to 74 years.

It also looked at so-called ‘premature deaths’ – the number of people who died under 75. There were 260 people in this group in 2016, which means one in every three people who died last year died prematurely. Men made up two out of every three deaths in this group.

Pictured: A breakdown of the report's key findings. (Statistics Unit)

The report also notes that the number of deaths in the island last year - 820 – is the highest since 2002. It also shows an 8% increase on 2015. More people died in March than any other month, with the fewest number of people dying in May, although the reports says this is not statistically significant.

One trend though that is noticeable is that proportionally fewer people are dying in hospital. Back in 2009 around half of those who died, did so in hospital. That’s now dropped to a third. Now, proportionally more people are dying in a private home or in Jersey Hospice.