Definition

Generating vital statistics includes the activities where national or regional vital statistics are produced (excluding productions of reports for administrative purposes).

Description

Once the information about vital events is compiled and cleaned, several tabulations and graphs are produced – usually by a country’s National Statistics Office. The type of tabulations and the way the statistics are presented vary from country to country. However, there are some essential recommendations in the analysis and presentation of the vital statistics. For more information about recommendations to generate vital statistics and examples of tabulations, go to Principles for integrating different data sources.

When producing data, it is essential to know who the end users are and what their purpose is. This will enable data producers to supply data in the most relevant and useful formats for different users. Decision makers, planners and managers working in health and other sectors often need basic information on population growth and movement, and information on levels and causes of mortality. This type of information is used for fundamental government decision making about resource allocation and program planning. Academic demographers and epidemiologists use vital statistics as essential inputs into their research. Members of the are also potential users of vital statistics, especially at the local level. For example, the tion of local area statistics on the patterns and causes of death often generate media interest.