Life expectancy, mortality and causes of death

Life expectancy is a summary measure of the number of years a person is expected to live, based on current age-specific death rates in the country. It is generally calculated separately for males and females.

Mortality rates (or death rates) relate the number of deaths in an age group to the population in that age group. Since the risk of dying varies by age and sex, mortality rates are typically provided by age and sex.

Cause of death data further disaggregates mortality into the underlying cause of death. This is important in understanding the main diseases from which different population groups (infants, children, adults, elderly) are dying.

1 - No Poverty2 - Zero Hunger3 - Good Health and Well-Being4 - Quality Education5 - Gender Equality6 - Clean Water and Sanitation7 - Affordable and Clean Energy8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth9 - Industry Innovation and Infrastructure10 - Reduced Inequalities11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities12 - Responsible Consumption and Production13 - Climate Action14 - Life Below Water15 - Life Land16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions17 - Partnerships Goals

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News & Publications

Improving medical certification of cause of death in the Pacific

March 9, 2023
Medical certification of cause of death (MCCD) is a key source of mortality statistics. The death certificate is a permanent record of the fact and characteristics of death. It provides important personal information about the decedent, the circumstances and the cause of death.

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics profiles for the Pacific Island region

August 30, 2021
The CRVS profiles consolidate knowledge shared by countries on the status of their CRVS systems in the recent past, including through government websites, published reports, media releases and presentations, and direct engagement between the authors of these profiles and in-country civil registration offices and health information offices.

COD coding Curriculum for PICTs report

August 16, 2021
Coding causes of death to an international standard enables the comparability of mortality statistics over time and between countries.

Tonga Vital Statistics Report 2013-2018

April 15, 2021
The report covers vital events (births and deaths) and causes of death for Tonga for the period 2013 to 2018.