Mortality rate

Mortality rate of countries, deaths per thousand

Mortality rate, or death rate,[1]: 189, 69  is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time. Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year; thus, a mortality rate of 9.5 (out of 1,000) in a population of 1,000 would mean 9.5 deaths per year in that entire population, or 0.95% out of the total. It is distinct from "morbidity", which is either the prevalence or incidence of a disease, and also from the incidence rate (the number of newly appearing cases of the disease per unit of time).[1]: 189 [verification needed]

An important specific mortality rate measure is the crude death rate, which looks at mortality from all causes in a given time interval for a given population. As of 2020, for instance, the CIA estimates that the crude death rate globally will be 7.7 deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year.[2] In a generic form,[1]: 189  mortality rates can be seen as calculated using , where d represents the deaths from whatever cause of interest is specified that occur within a given time period, p represents the size of the population in which the deaths occur (however this population is defined or limited), and is the conversion factor from the resulting fraction to another unit (e.g., multiplying by to get mortality rate per 1,000 individuals).[1]: 189 

  1. ^ a b c d Porta, M, ed. (2014). "Mortality Rate, Morbidity rate; Death rate; Cumulative death rate; Case fatality rate". A Dictionary of Epidemiology (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 189, 69, 64, 36. ISBN 978-0-19-939005-2.
  2. ^ CIA Staff (2020). "People and Society". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.