Latin America (LA) has experienced rapid improvements in life expectancy, reduced poverty, and infant mortality. Although social-economic, and health disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous remain. Mortality information by ethnicity isn't available from most of LA countries. The study aims to assess mortality inequalities between indigenous and non-indigenous in Brazil and Ecuador.

1. 20th Canadian Conference on Global Health
Indigenous Mortality and Inequalities in Latin
27–29 October 2013
America: the cases of Brazil and Ecuador
Ottawa, Canada
Fatima Marinho de Souza1, Patricia Soliz1, Ramón
Martinez1, Airlane Alencar2, Fabiana Del Popolo3
1
Poster Number
91
Pan American Health Organization, 2University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 3CELADE
Objective
Latin America (LA) has experienced
rapid improvements in life expectancy,
reduced poverty, and infant mortality.
Although social-economic, and health
disparities between indigenous and
non-indigenous remain.
Mortality information by ethnicity isn’t
available from most of LA countries.
Outcomes
• 17 of 20 LA countries encompass 47 million indigenous, 9% of the population
(Table 1). There are 896,917 indigenous in Brazil (0.5% of the population) and
1,018,176 in Ecuador (7%).
• In Brazil, urban areas comprise 36% of the indigenous and 85% of nonTitle
indigenous. Aged 15-under 36% are indigenous and 24% are non-indigenous.
Illiteracy rate is 23% in indigenous and 9% among non-indigenous in aged 15over.
• In Ecuador, urban areas comprise 21% of the indigenous and 66% of nonindigenous. Aged 15-under are 37% of the indigenous and 31% of nonindigenous. Illiteracy rate is 23% among indigenous and 7% among nonindigenous in aged 15-over.
The study aims to assess mortality
inequalities between indigenous and
non-indigenous in Brazil and Ecuador.
• Under-five mortality rates in indigenous were 2.5 and 1.6 fold of nonindigenous in Brazil and Ecuador respectively.
Methods
• In both, first cause of death was pneumonia-influenza among indigenous,
killing significantly more indigenous aged 5-under and non-indigenous aged
70-over.
Census results from 2000/2010 from
all LA countries’ Statistics Institutes
were used to count indigenous and
describing
socio-demographic
characteristics in Brazil and Ecuador.
Brazil Ministry of Health and Ecuador
National Institute of Statistics provided
mortality data for 2010.
• In Brazil, intestinal-infection was the third cause of death in indigenous, 6
times higher than non-indigenous and malnutrition/anemia was ranked fifth,
2.4 higher than non-indigenous (Table 2).
• In Ecuador, malnutrition and anemia was ranked ninth, rate ratio of 2.4 (Table
3). In both countries, indigenous suicide rate was twice of non-indigenous,
being 10 fold among indigenous aged 15-19.
Table 2: Leading causes of death among
indigenous and non-indigenous. Brazil 2010
Death certificates, including underlying
causes of death coded using ICD-10
were used.
The leading causes of death for
indigenous and non-indigenous were
compared; crude and age-standardized
mortality rates by causes were
estimated, and rate ratio calculated.
Title
Table 1: Indigenous Population in
Latin America countries
Countries and
Census Year
Argentina, 2010
Total
Population
40,117,096
Indigenous
Population
955,032
Indigenous %
Bolivia 2010(a)
9,995,000
6,216,026
62.2
Brazil 2010
190,755,799
896,917
0.5
Chile 2012
1,6634,603
1,842,607
11.1
Colombia 2005
41,468,384
1,392,623
3.4
Costa Rica 2011
4,301,712
104,143
2.4
Ecuador 2010
14,483,499
1,018,176
7.0
El Salvador 2007
5,744,113
13,310
0.2
Guatemala 2010(a)
14,334,000
5,881,009
41.0
Honduras 2010(a)
7,619,000
536,541
7.0
Mexico 2010 (b)
112,336,538
19,906,326
17.7
Nicaragua 2005
4,979,850
443,847
8.9
* Rate by 100,000/people
Table 3: Leading causes of death among
indigenous and non-indigenous. Ecuador 2010
2.4
Panama 2010
Outcomes
3,405,813
417,559
12.3
Paraguay 2010(a)
6,458,000
110,730
1.7
Peru 2007 ( c)
27,053,394
6,489,109
24.0
Uruguay 2011
3,251,654
159,319
4.9
Venezuela, Rep.
Bol. 2011
TOTAL
2,722,7930
759,960
2.8
530,166,385
47,143,233
8.9
Source: Del Popolo, Fabiana (2013); "Pueblos indígenas y afrodescendientes en los censos de la
década 2010 de América Latina: avances y desafíos en el derecho a la información", CELADECEPAL, Santiago, Chile.
(a) For these countries there is not census round results 2010. Therefore, the percentages of
indigenous population derived from the 2000 census round was applied to the estimated total
population in 2010, the latter on the basis of population estimates prepared by the CELADE
(Demographic Observatory No. 11)
(b) Because the question on ethnicity was applied to the population 3 years and over, Indigenous
status assigned to children under 3 years old when the head of household or spouse is declared
indigenous
(c ) Peru included in this census only native language therefore we estimated the indigenous
population with the following criteria: when the head of household or spouse declared an indigenous
language, all household members were assigned as indigenous
Conclusion
s
Title
* Rate by 100,000/people
Discussion and Conclusion
Indigenous have social-demographic and mortality pattern of poverty: high birth
and mortality rates, young population, rural residency, high illiteracy, and high
infectious disease and malnutrition mortality rates.
Suicide is a leading cause of death among indigenous. Studies showed that high
suicide rate among young indigenous result from discrimination and living
between two worlds.
Inequality between indigenous and non-indigenous has existed for centuries.
Indigenous are dying by avoidable causes, including high child mortality. They
haven’t been benefited by social-economic and health improvements observed
in LA.