Mortality and it's Measurements

Mortality rate, or death rate, 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 analysis begins with good quality data on deaths and population. These data are conventionally obtained from vital registration systems and population censuses respectively. The crude death rate and the specific death rates (age, sex, age-sex, age-sex-cause of death specific) are simple measures of mortality. The other measures are based on the life tables. The life table methodology has been used in many other applications in demography, such asin the analysis of marriage patterns (nuptialty tables), labour force (working life tables), school enrolment

etc. The life tables are used in population estimation, population projections, and to show the impact of

disability, cause of death elimination etc. on the survival of the population.

Measures of Mortality

Crude Death Rate

The crude death rate is calculated by dividing the number of registered deaths in a year by the mid-year population for the same year. The rate is expressed as per 1,000 population.

Specific Death Rate

The crude death rates for specific causes of death are calculated in a similar way by selecting deaths due to specific cause as the numerator and mid-year population as the denominator. 

Age Specific Death Rates (ASDR)

The age-specific death rates are calculated from deaths and population both specific to each ageo r age group) of the population

Infant Mortality Rate

The infant mortality rate (IMR), too, is an alternative to, and in a sense an improvement upon,the age-specific death rate for age 0 l.b.d. (last birth day) – in other words, upon the death rate for infants(i.e. children under 1 year of age). 

Child Mortality Rate: It is define as the total number of deaths of children aged 1 to 4 in the given year and geographical region and to the 1000 population of the same age in that year and same geographical all regions.

Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR): Number of infants dying within the first month (4 weeks)/(Upto 28th days) of life in a year and geographical region per thousand live births of same year and geographical region.

Post Neonatal Mortality Rate (PNMR): Number of infant deaths after 28 days to less than one-year (between 4 weeks to 52 weeks) of age per thousand live births in a given year.