Working‐Age Population Mortality in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): Regional Characteristics

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the regional characteristics of the working‐age population mortality in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). With the use of the continuous statistical method and the method of mathematical analysis, there was done a retrospective analysis of the official data from mortality reports by the Territorial Office of the Federal State Statistics Service (FSSS) and demographic yearbooks of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for the period of 1990‐ 2014. It was found out that the distinguishing feature of the mortality in the republic is a high level of human losses in the younger age groups from preventable causes. As of 2013 data, the mortality rate of the working‐age population exceeded the Russian Federation average by 5%, in particular, cardiovascular diseases – by 10.3%, external causes – by 26.7%. At the same time, Yakutia demonstrates a decreasing trend of the working ‐ age population mortality from all the major classes of the causes, which determined the 2014 decrease in crude mortality rate in this age group by 5.1% (down to 5.7 per 1,000 population of the corresponding age). In the structure of causes of death in working‐age population of the Russian Federation as a whole, the ranking places were successively occupied by cardiovascular diseases (170.3 per 100 thousand people of working age), external causes (158.3), and neoplasms (81.9). In Yakutia, the leading position went to external causes (216.1), followed by cardiovascular diseases (189.9), and neoplasms (67.1).

The study of the level, structure and trends of the working‐age population mortality in the republic in the context of different health‐economic groups of regions (Arctic, industrial, rural) reveals significant intra‐regional variations in the data. In the period 1990‐2014, all the groups of regions showed significant increase in the working‐age population mortality rate. It should be noted that the rural group rate was remaining relatively stable, as there was no increase in the mortality of working‐age women; still, it was higher than the average republic’s indicator by 7.0%. Since 2000, the Arctic regions showed the highest mortality rates in the working‐age group in the republic, with the excess being observed in both men and women. Over the entire study period, the group of industrial regions demonstrated a relatively prosperous situation, despite a growing trend.

Differences were also identified in the structure of the main causes of mortality of the working‐age people in different groups of regions. The Arctic group experienced the highest numbers of deaths from cardiovascular diseases (345.7 per 100 thousand people of working age), digestive diseases (56.4), external causes (404.5), whereas the industrial group – from infectious diseases (20.0) and neoplasms (75.0). The rural group, with the average numbers for all the major causes, showed an upward trend in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and external causes.

Premature mortality of working‐age people in the republic results in economic cost for the society, which annually makes the average of 0.4% of the gross regional product.