2025 Volume 91 Issue 6 Pages 205-217
Based on the life table and mortality database of the World Health Organization in 2019, this study clarifies the sex difference in life expectancy by cause of death and age group in Mongolia. The results showed that the sex difference in life expectancy at birth in Mongolia (8.9 years) was the largest in Asia, and was growing. The analysis of mortality rate by cause of death showed that the difference was the largest for the external causes of injury and poisoning (31.9%), following malignant tumours (18.1%), ischemic heart disease (17.1%), cerebrovascular disease (10.4%), and other heart diseases (4.9%), so-called Non-communicable diseases, but tuberculosis, which had been the major infectious disease in Mongolia for many years, became low, that was undergoing an epidemiological transition. Among these causes, accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol and liver cancer contributed most to the sex difference in life expectancy, especially in working-age groups, and it was considered that the root cause of such deaths was the excessive alcohol consumption among males. The Mongolian government has been well aware of the negative impact of alcohol consumption on the health of Mongolian males, and has carried out many studies, projects and campaigns. Still, the situation has not improved due to a lack of specialists and of monitoring, evaluation and follow-up. It is suggested to consider what age and diseases should be prioritised from the perspectives of fairness and public health.
