Deaths in Australia at record low

Australia's death rate has hit a record low, as the nation older citizens are growing in number and living longer.

There were 140,800 deaths officially recorded Australia-wide during 2009, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

It was a real decline of about 3,200 deaths from 2008, when 143,900 Australians died.

The figure also marked a new low in deaths measured against the population, continuing a declining trend which has unfolded over the past few decades.

In 1989, there were 9.1 deaths per thousand Australians, and in 2009 this figure hit a record low of 5.7.

"It's not just more younger Australians who are surviving through to older ages, those people who get through to age 50 are increasingly likely to live longer," demographer and Professor of Geography Graeme Hugo said in response to the figures released on Wednesday.

"Since 1970 we've added nearly eight years of extra life to an Australian aged 50 ... that's an incredible increase in life expectancy, a remarkable change in a generation when you think about it."

Prof Hugo, from the University of Adelaide, attributes the change to medical breakthroughs that now keep stroke, heart attack and cancer patients alive, along with improving treatments across the board.

Smoking rates were in decline while Australians now enjoyed safer workplaces and roads, and a blurring of once traditional male and female roles was allowing men to catch up to usually longer-lived women.

The ABS figures show over the past two decades, life expectancy increased six years for men (to just over 79 years) and more than four years for women (to almost 84 years).

Prof Hugo said there was room for more improvement as other countries had lower rates of cancer, heart attack and road crash deaths, but there were also emerging challenges.

"Obesity is much higher than it was in previous generations and it could compromise the continued year-by-year improvement in life expectancy," Prof Hugo said.

The ABS figures also show more men than women died in 2009, with 72,300 male deaths compared to 68,400 females.

The nation's infant mortality rate increased slightly, from 4.1 deaths per thousand births in 2008 to 4.3 last year.

Prof Hugo also said "closing the gap" between indigenous and non-indigenous health was also a must, and it would further boost the nation's average life span.

There were 2,400 indigenous deaths recorded last year, accounting for 1.7 per cent of all deaths.

The NT had the nation's highest death rate, at 7.9 deaths per thousand people, while the ACT came in with the lowest at 5.4 deaths.

While total deaths were down last year, the change appears to occur on a scale not immediately felt by the funeral industry.

"I've been around every state in the last few months and none of the funeral directors I've spoken to say `gee, we're down`," Australian Funeral Directors Association president John Scott said.

"(But) there is no doubt people are certainly living longer ... I know in our area (Kyneton, Victoria) we've got some very old people who are well into their hundreds."

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/deaths-in-australia-at-record-low-20101110-17nhj.html