Why is Mortality Low among the Swedish-Speaking Minority in Finland?

Authors

• Seppo Koskinen
• Tuija Martelin

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.44982

Keywords:

mortality, cause of death, Finland, language, ethnic groups, minority groups

Abstract

Life expectancy has been substantially longer among the Swedish-speaking Finns
than in the rest of the population. The relative mortality difference appears to be
particularly marked among the middle-aged. This study examines the possible reasons
for this mortality difference.
The mortality advantage of the Swedish-speaking Finns is connected with their more
favorable geographic location and socioeconomic position. For women these factors
explain all of the mortality difference but among men two-thirds of the original difference,
a 20% excess mortality of the Finnish-speaking majority, persists after adjusting
for the structural differences. In men, the main part of the mortality difference
results from factors responsible for excess mortality of the Finnish-speaking population
from cardiovascular diseases and non-natural causes of death. A similar mortality
contrast is seen in women as well, but it is compensated by other causes of death
which are more common among Swedish-speaking than among Finnish-speaking
women.