Recent trends in aboriginal mortality

Mortality is an important measure of the extent of the health disadvantages experienced by Australia's Aborigines. In the absence of routinely available data on Aboriginal deaths, this paper has collated information from a number of sources. In addition to published reports and theses, it also includes unpublished data provided to the Australian Institute of Health by State and Territory health authorities. The review also draws on data on maternal deaths, collated on a triennial basis and published by the National Health and Medical Research Council. Despite improvements in some indices of mortality, the death rates of Aborigines, particularly for young and middle-aged adults, are unacceptably higher than those of non-Aboriginal Australians. Without substantial reductions in death rates, the expectation of life of Aborigines will remain comparable with that of people living in developing countries.