More than a quarter of all deaths in Scotland last year were considered avoidable, according to new figures.
The National Records of Scotland (NRS) said there were 58,108 deaths in 2019, 27% of which were classed as avoidable.
Deaths fall under this category if they could be avoided through timely and effective healthcare and public health interventions.
In a report published today #NRSStats show that of the 58,108 deaths in 2019 more than a quarter of them were considered avoidablehttps://t.co/1f3dacl3Hl pic.twitter.com/TDqp1Y9yPA
— NatRecordsScot (@NatRecordsScot) December 1, 2020
Cancer was the most common cause of the 15,519 avoidable deaths last year, at 34%, followed by circulatory diseases (25%) and alcohol and drug-related disorders (16%).
Overall, avoidable mortality rates have fallen 33% since 2001 to 303.8 per 100,000 in 2019, after adjusting for age, but the gap between the most and least deprived places has increased during this time.
The rate in the most deprived areas was 4.8 times higher than the least deprived last year, up from 3.5 in 2001.
Glasgow was the council area with the highest avoidable death rate in 2019, followed by Dundee and Inverclyde.
East Renfrewshire had the lowest rate – less than half that of Glasgow.
East Dunbartonshire was second lowest, below Shetland.
The avoidable mortality rate for men was 58% higher than women in 2019, after adjusting for age, at 380 per 100,000 compared to 250.
Pete Whitehouse, NRS director of statistical services said: “The avoidable mortality rate has decreased by a third since 2001, however, there has been very little change over the last five years.
“It is also true that whilst avoidable mortality rates have improved across Scotland since 2001, the scale of improvement has been smaller in our more deprived communities.”
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