Working age men in Iceland have the lowest death rates in the world – whilst Australian rates are amongst the fastest falling, new figures showed today.
In Britain, women aged 15 to 59 have unexpectedly high death rates – and in some countries such as Russia rates have increased in the last 40 years.
The new analysis is published today in The Lancet.
It says adult women in Britain have a similar risk of death to Slovenia and Albania in south-eastern Europe. It is one of the highest death rates in western Europe – but not as bad as Denmark and Belgium.
Researchers said British death rates have nearly halved between 1970 and 2010 – but have not improved as fast as many other countries.
The fastest improving countries in the last 40 years include Australia, Italy, South Korea, Chile, Tunisia and Algeria.
In Africa, the HIV epidemic has increased death rates.
The researchers led by Dr Christopher Murray, of the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, write: ""The prevention of premature adult death is just as important for global health policy as is the improvement of child survival.
"The global health community needs to broaden its focus and to learn from measures applied in countries such as Australia and South Korea to ensure that those who survive to adulthood will also survive until old age.
"This refocus will require much greater efforts to equip all countries with reliable and timely mortality surveillance systems, preferably complete vital registration systems, to guide prevention policies and programmes."
The Lancet April 30 2010
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