New Zealands Rural Populations Are Dying At Higher Rates Than Those Living In Urban Centres

New Zealands rural populations are dying at higher rates than those living in urban centres. A new University of Otago study has contradicted existing data on death rates with researchers calling it the strongest evidence yet that New Zealanders who live in rural areas have poorer health outcomes. Lead author Professor Garry Nixon says the study is the first to show a pattern of higher mortality rates for rural populations. The study analysed the age, sex, ethnicity and cause of just over 160,000 deaths registered between 2014 and 2018 and mortality rates in rural areas were found to be higher than urban areas across all age groups under 60, the largest disparities being for those under 30 where the death rate was 599 per 100,000 in the most urban area, compared to 1085 in the most rural. Rural death rates greatly outpaced urban ones when it came to injury deaths. Professor Nixon says more research is needed to understand why higher mortality rates exist in rural areas. Aotearoa’s higher rural mortality rates reflect similar patterns seen in Australia and the US.