Causes of death - statistics

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Interpretation of numbers

Statistics on causes of death are the primary source of information for the organization and evaluation of healthcare services. They are also the most accessible information when health problems are being examined. However, figures on causes of death must always be interpreted with caution due to differences in age structures and possible changes in the International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems (ICD-10), which are used in recording the causes of death from death certificates.

Writing of death certificates

Statistics on causes of death are based on death certificates, which specify the diseases, injuries and circumstances that have caused death. The Directorate of Health issues forms for death certificates. The law on death certificates can be found here, and the regulation here. The diagnosis of the causes of death and the writing of death certificates are in the hands of the physicians.

Recording of causes of death

When registered in the Causes of death register, each death certificate is carefully checked, registered and coded according to the current version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The physician shall then review cases of doubt and specific categories of cause of death. To further improve the registration process's quality and consistency, specialized software is also used to indicate where the official coding differs from the international regulations.

Foreign comparison

Various international organizations undertake the collection and presentation of figures on causes of death. Iceland is a member of such a partnership and sends, among other things, annual data to the WHO Global Mortality Database. The statistics from this database are accessible in the European Mortality Database, which publishes the mortality rates of various pre-defined categories of cause of death each year. The WHO also publishes information on the causes of death within individual countries in an accessible interactive platform.