Home > Statistics > Causes of death > 2005 > Leading cause of death for working-age men is alcohol-related in 2005

Published: 31 October 2006

Leading cause of death for working-age men is alcohol-related in 2005

In 2005 alcohol-related causes, i.e. alcohol-related diseases and alcohol poisonings became the leading cause of death among working-age men. Ischaemic heart disease had been the leading cause of death for decades. Nearly as many working-age women died of alcohol-related causes as of breast cancer. Alcohol-related mortality has increased at an especially fast rate in 2004 and 2005. This data is included in the Statistics Finland statistics on causes of death.

In 2005 about 2,000 persons died of alcohol-related causes. Mortality associated with diseases caused by long-term alcohol use continued to increase in 2005. The number of deaths due to alcohol poisoning was slightly lower than in the year before.

Nearly one half of all alcohol-related deaths were among men aged 45-59, but alcohol-related deaths are on the increase also among older age groups. Alcohol-related death is relatively rare among men aged over 75 or under 35.

Alcohol use increases the risk of accidents and is often a contributing factor in suicides. Especially the number of accidental falls among working-age men has increased over the past few years. In 2005 the figure stood at 268. Nearly half of the victims were drunk when the accidental fall occurred. A scant third of suicides were committed while drunk.

Leading causes of death ages 15-64 by sex, 2005

Men				Women
Rank	Cause of death	Number of deaths	%	Rank	Cause of death	Number of deaths	%
1.	Alcohol-related deaths	1 309	17.1	1.	Breast cancer	355	10.7
2.	Ischaemic heart disease	1 268	16.6	2.	Alcohol-related deaths	354	10.6
3.	Accidents of which - land traffic - falls	980 183 268	12.8 2.4 3.5	3.	Accidents of which - land traffic - falls	250 52 48	7.5 1.6 1.4
4.	Suicides	592	7.7	4.	Suicides	224	6.7
5.	Lung cancer	405	5.3	5.	Ischaemic heart disease	190	5.7
6.	Cerebrovascular disease	299	3.9	6.	Cerebrovascular disease	169	5.1
	Other causes	2 791	36.5		Other causes	1 788	53.7
Total deaths at ages 15-64, men		7 644	100.0	Total deaths at ages 15-64, women		3 330	100.0

Source: Causes of Death 2005. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Ms Helena Korpi +358 9 1734 3605, Mr Mauno Huohvanainen +358 9 1734 3296
kuolemansyyt.tilasto@tilastokeskus.fi

Director in charge: Ms Riitta Harala

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Last updated 31.10.2006