How did income-related inequalities in premature mortality change in Finland from 2000 to 2024?

Background

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality are a well-recognised phenomenon across high-income countries. The aim of the study was to assess trends in income-related inequalities in premature mortality by different causes of death in Finland from 2000 to 2024.

Methods

The study used nationwide register data on the total Finnish population, including causes of death and sociodemographic data. Premature mortality was measured as Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) among the population aged 25 to 80 years. Age-standardized PYLL rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated for all causes of death and five cause-specific groups: cancers, circulatory diseases, alcohol-related deaths, suicides and injuries. Income-related inequalities were analyzed by calculating PYLL rates by income quintile.

Results

In 2024, the PYLL rate for men was 9,934 and for women 4,945. From 2000 to 2024, premature mortality declined among both sexes and across all income groups, particularly due to reductions in circulatory diseases. Despite these improvements, a clear income gradient persisted, with higher PYLL rates in lower income groups. Moreover, relative income inequalities increased over time. In 2024, the relative difference in PYLL rates between income quintiles was 6-fold for both sexes, compared with 4-fold among men and 3.3-fold among women in 2000. Inequalities widened in all cause-specific groups, most notably in alcohol-related causes and circulatory diseases, but also in cancer mortality and other causes. In alcohol-related mortality, the relative income difference was almost 14-fold for both sexes and in circulatory diseases 7-fold in women and 6-fold for men in 2024.

Conclusions

Income inequalities in premature mortality widened among Finnish adults aged 25–80 years, largely due to preventable causes. The results suggest that health policies promoting healthy lifestyles alone are insufficient to reduce income‑related differences in premature mortality in Finland.

Key messages

• Income inequalities in premature mortality widened among 25–80-year-olds in Finland from 2000 to 2024. In 2024, the difference in PYLL rates between income quintiles was 6-fold for both sexes.

• Inequalities widened across all cause-specific groups, suggesting that promoting healthy lifestyles alone is insufficient to reduce income related differences in premature mortality in Finland.