1.1. Contact organisation
[IT1] National Institute of Statistics (Istat) (Italy)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
SWC - Division for integrated system for health, social assistance and welfare
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Viale Liegi, 13 00198 Rome Italy
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
2 December 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
2 December 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
2 December 2025
3.1. Data description
Data on causes of death (CoD) provide information on mortality patterns and form a major element of public health information.
CoD data refer to the underlying cause, which, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is "the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury".
COD data are derived from death certificates. The medical certification of death is an obligation in Italy. The information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is coded according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) rules specified in the ICD.
3.2. Classification system
Eurostat's CoD statistics build on standards set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
The regional breakdown is based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 2).
Classification and updates applied by years
| Data year | ICD classification used (ICD-9, ICD-10) (3 or 4 chars) | For ICD-10: updates used |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ICD-10 | 2009 |
| 2012 | ICD-10 | 2009 |
| 2013 | ICD-10 | 2009 |
| 2014 | ICD-10 | 2009 |
| 2015 | ICD-10 | 2009 |
| 2016 | ICD-10 | 2016 |
| 2017 | ICD-10 | 2016 |
| 2018 | ICD-10 | 2016 |
| 2019 | ICD-10 | 2016 |
| 2020 | ICD-10 | 2019 plus COVID-19 codes and guidelines issued by WHO |
| 2021 | ICD-10 | 2019 plus COVID-19 codes and guidelines issued by WHO |
| 2022 | ICD-10 | 2019 plus COVID-19 codes and guidelines issued by WHO |
| 2023 | ICD-10 | 2019 plus COVID-19 codes and guidelines issued by WHO |
3.3. Coverage - sector
Public Health, Causes of death.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Concepts and definitions are described in the Commission regulation (EU) No 328/2011 in articles 2 and 3.
3.4.1. National definition used for usual residency
Usual residency refers to the Italian legal residency registered at Civil Registry and it is the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences.
3.4.2. Stillbirth definition and characteristics collected
In Italy, there is a definition applied in the survey on spontaneous abortion: stillbirths are fetal deaths with a gestational age of more than 180 days.
Nevertheless, the official information source used to report stillbirths, that is Birth Delivery Certificate (Decree of Ministry of Health 349/2001), collects data about stillbirths irrespective of the duration of pregnancy. This information source collects, in addition, all the characteristics used to classify and group stillbirths (gestational age, weight, crown-heel) according to the Commission Regulation (EU) No 328/2011.
The characteristics collected are: gestational age, weight, and crown-heel.
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical units are the deceased persons and the stillborns, respectively.
3.6. Statistical population
All deaths and stillbirths occurring in Italy, distinguishing between residents and non-residents.
3.6.1. Neonates of non-resident mothers
Neonates of non-resident mothers are not considered residents, as the newborn's residence is the mother's residence.
3.6.2. Non-residents
Non-residents are included in national statistics if they die in our country.
About stillbirths, our national statistics include events that occurred in Italy from non-resident mothers.
3.6.3. Residents dying abroad
Residents dying abroad are not included as our national statistics refer only to deaths that occurred in the country.
3.7. Reference area
The statistical data on causes of death refers to Italy.
Region of occurrence and residence (Nuts2) are indicated.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Italian data are available from 1994 onwards.
Note that because the 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and a few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data before and after 2011 could not always be comparable (in part due to the different groupings of causes of death). Moreover, the time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011, and no information on previous data is available.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The unit is a number.
Data refer to the calendar year (i.e., all deaths occurring during the year).
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
CoD data was submitted to Eurostat based on a gentleman's agreement established in the framework of Eurostat's Working Group on "Public Health Statistics" until data with the reference year 2010.
A Regulation on Community Statistics on Public Health and Health and Safety at Work (EC) No 1338/2008 was signed by the European Parliament and the Council on 16 December 2008. This Regulation is the framework for the data collection on the domain.
Within the context of this framework Regulation, a Regulation on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, as regards statistics on causes of death (EU) No 328/2011 was signed by the European Parliament and the Council on 5 April 2011.
CoD data, according to this regulation, is submitted to Eurostat since the reference year 2011.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Common specifications with the World Health Organisation (WHO) were used in the data collection up to 2010; in addition, Eurostat asks for NUTS level 2. From 2011 onwards, Eurostat changed the specifications to take into account the data collected through Regulation No 328/2011.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
Information on the Istat confidentiality policy is available on the Istat website: ISTAT - Methods and software of the statistical process - Apply disclosure control
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
All cells corresponding to marginal totals by cause with less than 3 deaths are considered 'confidential'. To ensure statistical confidentiality, we apply a different treatment depending on the type of output.
For the data warehouse, we have designed tables that are not at risk of disclosure (in some cases, we have aggregated them at the territorial level).
Regarding the aggregated file by cause for research purposes, each 'confidential' cell is collapsed by grouping all causes.
8.1. Release calendar
Annually, about 24 months after the end of the reference period.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity'), respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional, and transparent manner, in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
At the national level, aggregated data are simultaneously disseminated free of charge to all users in electronic form (website, Istat data warehouse).
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
At the Eurostat level, news releases are online.
At the National level, it is not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Causes of death data are disseminated in many different publications, "multi-source".
Among the most relevant are:
- "Noi Italia";
- "Italian Statistical Yearbook";
- "BES. Benessere Equo Sostenibile";
- "Il benessere equo e sostenibile dei territori".
Annexes:
BES. Benessere Equo Sostenibile
Italian Statistical Yearbook
Noi Italia
Il benessere equo e sostenibile dei territori - Report regionali
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Please consult free data online:
Health For All: See this website.
Annexes:
Istat.Data
Health For All
Eurostat db
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not available.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
According to national laws, techniques have been adopted to protect the confidentiality of the microdata.
Given the sensitivity of the data, microdata access is limited to the projects included in the National Statistical Program (PSN) approved by law.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
- For the reference year 2022, a release was disseminated.
- For the reference year 2022, a press release was issued.
- For the reference year 2020, the provisional data were released.
- For the reference year 2020, only concerning March and April, a report was released:
- Only for data of the reference years 2011-2013, a release was disseminated.
- Only for data of the reference year 2014, a release was disseminated.
- For data of the reference year 2012, a release was disseminated.
- A relevant publication is also the following: "La mortalità dei bambini ieri e oggi: l’Italia post-unitaria a confronto con i Paesi in via di sviluppo" .
Annexes:
Social inequalities in mortality
Causes of death in Italy in 2022
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not available.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Process documents are available at this website.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
All the concepts are provided.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
The official quality documentation on causes of death statistics is available on the Istat official quality documentation system (SIQual).
11.1. Quality assurance
Since the 1990s, Istat has adopted a systematic approach to ensure quality in both statistical information and service to the community. Please visit this website.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
In 2015, an audit was carried out to evaluate the causes of death statistics system.
The overall assessment was positive, the system's aims are clear and well-defined, and shown on a wiki page. The audit revealed that there were no problems with the survey's coverage and reference list. Furthermore, any attempt to reduce the statistical burden was made.
Regarding IT, the validated data are systematically stored on an Oracle DB and adequately protected following the standards of the Institute. Links to SIQual accompany the data released on the web, the Istat official quality documentation system.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users are public, national and local governments, public research institutes, and private researchers.
Data are mainly used to support the decisions about public policies on health and to study mortality (trend, risk factors, etc)
Sometimes users ask for more detailed data (i.e., nuts3 level, microdata), but generally, these requests cannot be met for confidentiality reasons.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Users' views and opinions are not regularly collected, but the Committee of Statistical Information Users (CUIS) is consulted during the National Statistical Programme (NSP) meeting to highlight possible weaknesses in the data. In general, users are satisfied.
12.3. Completeness
All data requested are sent and disseminated on Eurostat's website.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
1. For mandatory variables:
100%.
2. For voluntary variables:
76% (19/25).
3. For additional variables:
- External CoD
It is provided for general and neonatal deaths, not for stillbirths.
- Place of occurrence for external CoD
It is not provided.
- Activity for external CoD
It is not provided.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
As the data collection is total population-based, the sampling error is not applicable. Many efforts are spent to detect and obtain the missing models by the non-respondent municipalities, reaching a coverage level of about 100%. An editing and imputation procedure is applied to the data to check and correct the measurement errors and item non-responses. Significant investments (tools to support encoding, training coders, etc.) are continuously made to improve the quality of causes of death coding.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable. Data collection is from administrative sources.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See 13.1.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable. Data collection is from administrative sources.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable. Data are from administrative sources.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
| Year | Number of months between the end of the reference year and the publication at national level |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 24 |
| 2012 | 24 |
| 2013 | 24 |
| 2014 | 24 |
| 2015 | 24 |
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2018 | 24 |
| 2019 | 26 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2021 | 24 |
| 2022 | 24 |
| 2023 | 24 |
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
24 months.
14.2. Punctuality
From data collection with the reference year 2011 onwards, Istat meets the Implementing Regulation (EC) No. 328/2011 deadline, Article 4. COD 2019 data arrived in early 2022 because many problems slowed down the data production process in 2021. COD 2020 data arrived in early 2023 because many problems slowed down the data production process in 2021 and 2022.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
The scheduled date for delivery/release of the data is respected.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The data are geographically comparable because all data processing is managed centrally by Istat. Moreover, the geographical coverage is complete, and the missing events are negligible.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Since the tenth revision of the ICD was adopted in 2003, data between 1994 and 2002 and from 2003 onwards are not always comparable. Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011, and no information on previous data is available.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
- General mortality: since 2003.
- Stillbirths: since 2011.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Two different data sources for collecting mortality data in Italy are carried out by the National Institute of Statistics (Istat):
- “Deleted to death from population registers” (Demographic Statistics or DS).
- “Causes of death” (CoD).
The DS survey refers to cancellations due to death from the Population register of all residents in Italy, including those who died abroad. The CoD statistics, on the other hand, refer to all deaths occurring in Italy (for both residents and non-residents).
The discrepancies found between the DS and CoD data are mainly due to the different data sources: the collection of an administrative record of cancellations for the DS data versus a data collection of death certificates filled in by doctors for the CoD data, and the different populations to which these two different data sources belong; in fact, residents dying abroad are only covered by the DS.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable, only annual data are available.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Italian data on causes of death are internally consistent.
The main costs concern the recording and coding phases. Nevertheless, increasing the use of IT tools allowed for a reduction in costs.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
There is no systematic revision of the previous year's data. Data are occasionally revised, e.g., when "NUTS" changes.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
For each death, a death certificate is filled in by a physician. He must indicate "all diseases, morbid or traumatic conditions that led or contributed to death, and the circumstances of the accident or violence that provoked these traumatisms" in the health section of the certificate, hereby also reporting other relevant information linked to the death. Once the doctor has completed the health section, the form is sent to the relevant municipality. The registrar must complete the certificate with the socio-demographic data of the dead person. In particular, other than the dates of birth and death, this information concerns the place of birth and residence, marital status, educational level, profession, branch of economic activity, citizenship, and individual code of the deceased. If a death has occurred during the first year of life, the form is slightly different, and, as regards the demographic section, the requested information mainly refers to the condition of the parents. Having been filled out in duplicate, the form follows two different paths: one copy is sent to the ASL (where the death occurred), whereas the other copy, before being sent to Istat, is sent to the Prefectures.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual.
18.3. Data collection
Italian statistics on causes of death are produced by a centralized data coding and processing system.
Causes of death are coded by an automated coding system (ACS), which requires alphanumeric registration of the health section of the death certificate. Only causes rejected by this system are manually coded. Since the reference year 2003, data on multiple causes have also been coded.
18.3.1. Certification
Not applicable because we do not have any statistics on certification training or post-mortem exam courses attended by certifiers. We also do not handle any post-mortem queries.
Table on certification (Percentage)
| Year |
All doctors (certifiers) trained in the certification | All doctors (certifiers - pathologists or others doctors) trained in the post-mortem examination (autopsies) | Certificates filled by persons who attended a course on certification or post-mortem examination | Death certificates that are queried (only queries related to medical part of the death certificate should be included) | Replies received for queries sent | Deaths where the underlying cause is changed as a result of the query | Death certificates with incorrect sequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | |||||||
| 2012 | |||||||
| 2013 | |||||||
| 2014 | |||||||
| 2015 | |||||||
| 2016 | |||||||
| 2017 | |||||||
| 2018 | |||||||
| 2019 |
18.3.2. Automated Coding
| 1. Automated Coding | ||
|---|---|---|
| Data year | a) Did you use any form of automated coding? [Yes / No] | b) If yes, please indicate the system used (IRIS, MICAR, ACME, STYX, MIKADO, others) |
| 2011 | Yes | ACTR_MICAR_ACME |
| 2012 | Yes | ACTR_MICAR_ACME |
| 2013 | Yes | ACTR_MICAR_ACME |
| 2014 | Yes | ACTR_MICAR_ACME |
| 2015 | Yes | ACTR_MICAR_ACME |
| 2016 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2017 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2018 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2019 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2020 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2021 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2022 | Yes | IRIS |
| 2023 | Yes | IRIS |
18.3.3. Underlying cause of death
| 2. Underlying cause of death selection and modification | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data year | a) only manual selection of underlying cause | b) manual with ACME decision tables (if yes, which version of ACME) | c) ACS utilising ACME decision tables (if yes, which version of ACME) | d) own system (ACS without ACME) | e) Comments |
| 2011 | YES (2009) for external causes and infant deaths | 2009.10 | No | ||
| 2012 | YES (2009) for external causes and infant deaths | 2009.10 | No | ||
| 2013 | YES (2009) for external causes and infant deaths | 2009.10 | No | ||
| 2014 | YES (2009) for external causes and infant deaths | 2009.10 | No | ||
| 2015 | YES (2009) for external causes and infant deaths | 2009.10 | No | ||
| 2016 | YES (2016 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2016 | No | Iris 2016 version | |
| 2017 | YES (2016 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2016 | No | Iris 2016 version | |
| 2018 | YES (2016 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2016 | No | Iris 2016 version | |
| 2019 | YES (2016 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2016 | No | Iris 2016 version | |
| 2020 | YES (2020 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2020 | No | Iris 2020 using ICD10 version 2019 plus COVID-19 codes and guidelines issued by WHO | |
| 2021 | YES (2020 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2020 | No | ||
| 2022 | YES (2020 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2020 | No | ||
| 2023 | YES (2020 Iris decision tables) for external causes, infant deaths and rejection of Iris | Iris 2020 | No | ||
18.3.4. Availability of multiple cause
| 3. Information available in the national COD database | |
|---|---|
| Data year | Which information do you store in your national COD database - the underlying cause (UC) only or multiple causes (MC)? |
| 2011 | UC + MC |
| 2012 | UC + MC |
| 2013 | UC + MC |
| 2014 | UC + MC |
| 2015 | UC + MC |
| 2016 | UC + MC |
| 2017 | UC + MC |
| 2018 | UC + MC |
| 2019 | UC + MC |
| 2020 | UC + MC |
| 2021 | UC + MC |
| 2022 | Uc + MC |
| 2023 | Uc + MC |
18.3.5. Stillbirths and Neonatal certificates
- Stillbirths
The source of the stillbirth data is the Birth Delivery Certificate for which the Ministry of Health is responsible (Decree of Ministry of Health 349/2001). This information source collects data about births, stillbirths, and congenital anomalies at birth, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy.
- Neonates
Istat has a different death certificate for neonatal and infant deaths (all deaths under 1 year of age). Please visit this website.
Annexes:
Infant death certificate
18.4. Data validation
An editing and imputation procedure is applied to check and correct the measurement errors and item non-responses. The procedure is based on both deterministic (health and socio-demographic data) and probabilistic approaches (socio-demographic data) to handle incorrect and missing data.
18.4.1. Coding
Description of coding procedure (central level, distributed among other bodies, etc.):
Coding is performed centrally using the Iris automated coding system. The percentage of rejects of Iris is about 20%. Any certificates that are rejected are reviewed manually by trained coders.
Description of the procedures to detect errors (i.e.errors such as potential inconsistency in the death certificate or errors due to mistakes when filling out the death certificates):
Inconsistencies between the cause of death and other information on the death certificate (age, sex, manner of death) are detected with online alerts during coding, so the coders can check the original death certificate and correct it. At the end of the year, a consistency check is also run for the detection of inconsistencies.
Description of the measures taken to solve detected errors:
Errors detected are corrected manually by expert coders.
Coding performed by a certifier:
Certifiers do not perform coding in Italy.
Estimation of the percentage of autopsies for which information is available for coding:
Not applicable.
Description of double coding exercises and rate of codification errors for the underlying cause of death:
Not applicable.
18.4.2. Unspecified CoD code
ICD codes for the underlying cause (% of the Total)
| Year | Unspecified CoD (for ICD10: R00-R99 codes, for ICD9: 780-790 codes) | Unknown CoD (for ICD10: R98-R99 codes, for ICD9: 799.9, 798.9, 798.2 codes) | Deaths due to senility (for ICD10: R54 code, for ICD9: 797 code) | Deaths due to exposure to unspecified factor (for ICD10: X59 code, ICD9: 928.9 code) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1.71 | 0.32 | 0.87 | 1.20 |
| 2012 | 1.83 | 0.33 | 0.93 | 1.15 |
| 2013 | 1.84 | 0.32 | 0.91 | 1.21 |
| 2014 | 1.92 | 0.30 | 0.97 | 1.25 |
| 2015 | 2.08 | 0.33 | 1.07 | 1.25 |
| 2016 | 2.07 | 0.40 | 1.01 | 1.40 |
| 2017 | 2.19 | 0.42 | 1.07 | 1.44 |
| 2018 | 2.28 | 0.43 | 1.13 | 1.40 |
| 2019 | 2.38 | 0.46 | 1.16 | 1.41 |
| 2020 | 3.30* | 1.23* | 1.24 | 1.27 |
| 2021 | 3.63 | 1.45 | 1.31 | 1.37 |
| 2022 | 4.19 | 1.79 | 1.41 | 1.41 |
| 2023 | 4,62 | 2,05 | 1,48 | 1,39 |
* The increase compared to previous years is due to the adoption of ICD-10 version 2019 (according to which certificates with cardiac arrest as UC must be classified as deaths due to unknown cause R99).
18.4.3. Unknown country or region
Unknown country/region (%) for residents and non-residents who died in the country
| Year | Residents | Non-residents | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown residency (NUTS2) | Unknown occurrence (NUTS2) | Unknown residency (country) | Unknown residency (NUTS2) | Unknown occurrence (NUTS2) | |
| 2011 | 0.1 |
0.0 | 4.7 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2012 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2013 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 16.8 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2014 | 0.1 | 0,0 | 6.5 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2015 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.8 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 5.7 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2017 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 18.1 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2021 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 100.0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 1,7 | 100,0 | 0,0 |
18.4.4. Validation of the coverage
We use external sources such as demographic event data from the registry office.
For stillbirths, we use hospital discharge information as an external source to validate the coverage of deliveries.
18.5. Data compilation
The imputation procedures are based on deterministic (health and socio-demographic data) and probabilistic approaches (socio-demographic data) to input incorrect and missing data.
Most probabilistic procedures are based on the Nearest-neighbour Imputation Methodology (NIM, developed by Statistics Canada).
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
- Age: 9.4%;
- Gender: 0.6%;
- Residence: 2.2%;
- Civil status: 2.4%;
- Educational level: 34.1%.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
None.
Data on causes of death (CoD) provide information on mortality patterns and form a major element of public health information.
CoD data refer to the underlying cause, which, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is "the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury".
COD data are derived from death certificates. The medical certification of death is an obligation in Italy. The information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is coded according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) rules specified in the ICD.
2 December 2025
Concepts and definitions are described in the Commission regulation (EU) No 328/2011 in articles 2 and 3.
The statistical units are the deceased persons and the stillborns, respectively.
All deaths and stillbirths occurring in Italy, distinguishing between residents and non-residents.
The statistical data on causes of death refers to Italy.
Region of occurrence and residence (Nuts2) are indicated.
Data refer to the calendar year (i.e., all deaths occurring during the year).
As the data collection is total population-based, the sampling error is not applicable. Many efforts are spent to detect and obtain the missing models by the non-respondent municipalities, reaching a coverage level of about 100%. An editing and imputation procedure is applied to the data to check and correct the measurement errors and item non-responses. Significant investments (tools to support encoding, training coders, etc.) are continuously made to improve the quality of causes of death coding.
The unit is a number.
The imputation procedures are based on deterministic (health and socio-demographic data) and probabilistic approaches (socio-demographic data) to input incorrect and missing data.
Most probabilistic procedures are based on the Nearest-neighbour Imputation Methodology (NIM, developed by Statistics Canada).
For each death, a death certificate is filled in by a physician. He must indicate "all diseases, morbid or traumatic conditions that led or contributed to death, and the circumstances of the accident or violence that provoked these traumatisms" in the health section of the certificate, hereby also reporting other relevant information linked to the death. Once the doctor has completed the health section, the form is sent to the relevant municipality. The registrar must complete the certificate with the socio-demographic data of the dead person. In particular, other than the dates of birth and death, this information concerns the place of birth and residence, marital status, educational level, profession, branch of economic activity, citizenship, and individual code of the deceased. If a death has occurred during the first year of life, the form is slightly different, and, as regards the demographic section, the requested information mainly refers to the condition of the parents. Having been filled out in duplicate, the form follows two different paths: one copy is sent to the ASL (where the death occurred), whereas the other copy, before being sent to Istat, is sent to the Prefectures.
Annual.
| Year | Number of months between the end of the reference year and the publication at national level |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 24 |
| 2012 | 24 |
| 2013 | 24 |
| 2014 | 24 |
| 2015 | 24 |
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2018 | 24 |
| 2019 | 26 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2021 | 24 |
| 2022 | 24 |
| 2023 | 24 |
The data are geographically comparable because all data processing is managed centrally by Istat. Moreover, the geographical coverage is complete, and the missing events are negligible.
Since the tenth revision of the ICD was adopted in 2003, data between 1994 and 2002 and from 2003 onwards are not always comparable. Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011, and no information on previous data is available.
