Leading causes of death
This category includes the most common causes of premature mortality, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other major conditions that are the primary drivers of premature mortality rates in Ireland. The headings represent ICD-10 chapters, the standard method of classifying mortality in Ireland. This subset of chapters was chosen by finding all causes of death that were in the top 5 in at least one county in Ireland. This was done to balance the presentation of key data with clarity.
Deaths associated with risk factors
This category focuses on deaths that can be linked to alcohol or smoking, as two leading risk factors for disease. The classification of these deaths is undertaken by the CSO as per their methodology. Deaths recorded in this overlap with the deaths in the 'Leading causes of death' group, for example a death due to lung cancer will be reported in both the 'Neoplasms' and 'Selected smoking related causes' data.
Focus on deaths by injury or poisoning
This category includes deaths from external causes such as accidents, falls, poisoning (including drug overdoses), violence, and other injury-related causes of death. This subset of deaths was selected as men are notably over-represented in premature mortality due to these causes.
Irish Male Premature Mortality Rates by County
