Helsinki morbidity index

The morbidity index is calculated by means of three register variables describing the morbidity of the population. These are the share of people on disability pension among the working-age population, the share of persons entitled to special reimbursements for medicines (representing long-term morbidity) and the mortality rate of the population. The morbidity index is the average of these three variables.

Regional morbidity is compared either to the average of the morbidity in Helsinki as a whole (Table 1) or to the average in the entire country (Table 2). The index illustrates how healthy or sick the population of the region is compared to the average of the population of the entire city (Helsinki = 100) or the population of the entire country (Finland = 100). The index is age standardized, so the morbidity of the regions can be compared regardless of the differences in their age structures.

The chronic diseases index, on the other hand, describes the prevalence of chronic diseases and conditions in the population of the region compared to the average of the population of the entire city (Helsinki = 100) or the population of the entire country (Finland = 100). The index includes the seven most common diseases entitling to reimbursable medical treatment. These are asthma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psychoses, coronary artery disease, heart failure and hypertension. The index is the average of these sub-indices.

The data for different years are not directly comparable with each other.

Source of the Helsinki region morbidity index 2017 data: Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Separate statistics on the morbidity index made for the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa by area in 2017.

Source of the Helsinki morbidity index 2019 data: City Executive Office, Helsinki. The source data is from Kela, but the indices have been calculated in Helsinki.

Source of the Helsinki morbidity index 2021 data: City Executive Office, Helsinki. The source data are from Kela and Statistics Finland, but the indices have been calculated in Helsinki.