Causes of death (hlth_cdeath)

1.1. Contact organisation

Norwegian Institute of Public Health

1.2. Contact organisation unit

Domain for Health Data and Digitalisation

1.3. Contact name

Confidential because of GDPR

1.4. Contact person function

Confidential because of GDPR

1.5. Contact mail address

Norwegian Institute of Public Health

PO BOX  973, Sentrum

N- 5808 Bergen,

Norway

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

3 July 2026

2.2. Metadata last posted

3 July 2026

2.3. Metadata last update

3 July 2026

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 of death 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 information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is mapped to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

 

3.2. Classification system

Eurostat's CoD statistics build on standards set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

The regional breakdown is based on the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 2).

See table 3.2. Classification and updates applied by years in annez COD_CODNSI_ANO_2024_0000_an_1

3.3. Coverage - sector

Public Health.

3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions

Residency: A person that is living in Norway or intend to have residency in the country for 6 months or more, and is registered with an address by the Norwegian National Population Register. 

Definition of stillbirth: Gestational age:>= 22 weeks, weight: >=500 g (According to the Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN)).

Characteristics collected: Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN) collects gestational age, births weight, crown heel lenghts, gender, pluarality, congenital malformations and deformations.

3.4.1. National definition used for usual residency

A person that is living in Norway or intend to have residency in the country for 6 months or more, and is registered with an address by the Norwegian National Population Register.  

3.4.2. Stillbirth definition and characteristics collected

Definition of stillbirth: Gestational age:>= 22 weeks, weight: >=500 g (According to the Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN))

Characteristics collected: Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN) collects gestational age, births weight, crown heel lenghts, gender, pluarality, congenital malformations and deformations.

3.5. Statistical unit

The statistical units are the deceased persons and the stillborns, respectively.

3.6. Statistical population

Data is based on data from Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and Medical Birth Registry in Norway. There are some discrepancies between this two data sources for children who are near the limit of viability.

Sex is based on legal information from Norwegian National Population Register.

3.6.1. Neonates of non-resident mothers

No, neonates of non-resident mother are not considered as residents in Norway.

3.6.2. Non-residents

From the reference year 2013 the non-residents dying in Norway are registered but not included in our national statistics (just residents). They have their own special statistics/tables.

3.6.3. Residents dying abroad

Norway includes residents dying abroad in our national statistics. However for about 90% of the deaths we do not know the causes of death for the persons dying abroad. When receiving a death certificate we classify the cause of death acording to ICD-10 codes if reported.

3.7. Reference area

Norway.

3.8. Coverage - Time

Time series available from 1994 onwards.

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data before and after 2011 are not always comparable (in part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover, 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 number of persons.

2024

6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements

CoD data was submitted to Eurostat on the basis of a gentleman's agreement established in the framework Eurostat's Working Group on "Public Health Statistics" until data with 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 of 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 reference year 2011.

6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing

CoD-data are shared with researchers, students, health authorities, WHO, Eurostat and media.

The Norwegian Legal Regulation Concerning The Cause of Death Registry from 21 December 2001 provides the legal basis for sharing data from the The Cause of Death Registry.

7.1. Confidentiality - policy

All users have equal access to anonymous statistical releases from The Cause of Death Registry at the same time, according to the European statistics code of practice.

Access to confidential microdata for scientific purposes may only be granted based on approval by the Norwegian Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC), according to the Health Research Act.

7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment

All confidential microdata are treated according to the Norwegian Health Registry Act and the Norwegian Personal Data Act (which incorporates the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)).

Everything we send of personally identifiable data is encrypted, only anonymous aggregated data is sent unencrypted.

We do not provide health data along with birth number or name. If directly identifiable data is provided, serial number and health data are provided on one data set and serial number and ID on another. The datasets can be connected by using serial numbers.

8.1. Release calendar

Statistics from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry are released two times a year (preliminary and final statistics). Final release including the statistical year 2024 in October 2025.

8.2. Release calendar access

Release dates for statistics published by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) can be found in the Institute's statistics calendar: Statistikkalender FHI

8.3. Release policy - user access

• The European Parliament and Council Act (EU) no. 223/2009 for European statistics of March 2009, concerning the European Statistics System (ESS), is adopted as a regulation to the Norwegian Statistics Act.
• The superior principles for production of Norwegian statistics are elaborated through guidelines for European statistics (the European Statistics Code of Practice, generally referred to as the Code of Practice).
  • The aim of the guidelines is to ensure the trust of the general public in Norwegian Statistics by establishing principles for the development, production and distribution of the statistics.
  • Central in the Code of Practice are demands for professional independence for the institution that produces the Statistics.
  • The Ministry of Health and Care Services and The Norwegian Institute of Public Health agree that the Code of Practice should be adopted for the production of statistics from the central Norwegian health registers.
• In line with the Code of Practice, The Norwegian Cause of Death Registry provides equal access for all users to anonymous statistical releases from the registry at the same time, see link below. 

COD-data.

Annual. Two releases: preliminary and final statistics.

10.1. Dissemination format - News release

Causes of Death 2024

10.2. Dissemination format - Publications

Causes of Death 2024

10.3. Dissemination format - online database

Please consult free data online.

10.3.1. Data tables - consultations

See table 10.3.1. Data tables - consultations in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access

It is possible to apply for access to microdata form Norwegian Institute of Public Health' health registries.

Here you will find guidelines, electronic application forms and other information.

10.5. Dissemination format - other

• WHO - tabular data.
• NOMESCO - tabular data.
• Occasional reports on special subjects: fhi.no website.

10.5.1. Metadata - consultations

Not applicable.

10.6. Documentation on methodology

Documents for CoD are available in the Norwegian Institute of public health.

10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate

Norway has 98 percent metadata completeness.

10.7. Quality management - documentation

The Norwegian Cause of Death Registry has fully implemented the IRIS system, with its associated rules and guidelines for selection of underlying cause of death, for routine coding.

In addition, the cause of death is verified against other national health registries, such as the Medical Birth Registry of Norway and the Cancer Registry of Norway, as well as autopsy reports (approximately 8 percent of the deceased in Norway are autopsied), to improve quality.

If the medical data is incomplete, additional information is requested from the institution where the certificate was issued.

11.1. Quality assurance

The causes of death data are based on a regulation, which defines scope, definitions of variables and characteristics of the data.

11.2. Quality management - assessment

Not available.

12.1. Relevance - User Needs

Users of the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry mainly need access to data, information and knowledge for the following purposes:

1. Monitoring causes of death over time.
2. Preparation of national, regional and local statistics related to causes of death.
3. Research.
4. Planning, quality assurance and quality impovement in the Health and Care Services.

12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction

Not available.

12.3. Completeness

 The cause of death data, as delivered by the Norwegian Institue of Public Health, has a coverage of about 98%.

12.3.1. Data completeness - rate

1. For mandatory variables: 99 percent.
2. For voluntary variables: Not applicable.
3. For additional variables: 

• • External CoD:
    • Place of occurrence for external CoD: 72 percent.
    • Activity for external CoD: 25 percent.

13.1. Accuracy - overall

Not formally validated.

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

Not applicable.

13.3.1. Coverage error

There is approximately 2 percent under-coverage in divergence between the frame population and the target population.

There are some discrepancies between data from Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and Medical Birth Registry in Norway for children who are near the limit of viability.

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.

13.3.3. Non response error

In Norway, whenever information on cause of death is missing for a death recorded in the National Population Register, reminders are sent to the council where the death was registered.  For each year information on cause of death is incomplete for about 2 percent of the deaths. 

Whenever information on the death certificates is missing or incomplete, additional information is sent to the council physician or to the institutions that applied the death certificate. In Norway in 2024 additional information was requested for about 5 percent of the death certificates received.

13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate

Not applicable.

13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate

Refer point 13.3.3.

13.3.4. Processing error

The processing of the data is in accordance with the European standard provided by the IRIS-institute.

13.3.5. Model assumption error

Not applicable.

14.1. Timeliness

See table 14.1. Timeliness in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

14.1.1. Time lag - first result

4 months between the end of 2024 and the publication of preliminary statistics at national level.

14.1.2. Time lag - final result

10 months between the end of 2024 and the publication of final statistics at national level.

14.2. Punctuality

From data collection with reference year 2011 onwards, Eurostat asks for the submission of final data at national and regional level and related metadata for the year N at N+24 months, according to the Implementing Regulation (EC) No. 328/2011, Article 4.

 

14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication

See table 14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

15.1. Comparability - geographical

All the geographical regions in Norway use the same death certificate, and all the death certificates are coded by the same group of coders at NIPH.

Autopsies influence determination of the underlying cause of death, but the autopsy frequncy may vary from region to region.

Over all, the degree of geographical comparability in the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry is high. 

15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient

Not applicable.

15.2. Comparability - over time

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data between 1994-2010 and starting from 2011 are not always comparable (In part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011 and no information on previous data is available. From 2018 electronic death certificates started to be used and from 2022 it is compulsory to use electronic death certificate instead of paper version.

15.2.1. Length of comparable time series

In the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry timeseries are available from 1951-2025.  Recording by different ICD-versions causes breaks in series. ICD-7, 1951-1968; ICD-8, 1969-1985; ICD-9, 1986-1995 and ICD-10, 1996-.

15.3. Coherence - cross domain

The number of deaths in the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry is verified against mortality data in The National Population Register of Norway. In case of discrepancies, local authorieties are contacted to ensure that missing death certificates are issued. 

For residents dying in Norway, the coverage is about 99%.

For residents dying abroad, the coverage is about 20%. The underlying cause is missing for nearly 90% of the residents dying abroad.

There are some discrepansies for neonatal death between Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

 

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

The Cause of Death statistics are internally coherent, consistent and comparable for all years preceding and including the reference year 2012. However, from the reference year 2013 The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) has extracted data from two sources, The Cause of Death Registry and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN). There may therefore be some inconsistencies in data from the two time periods.

The statistics are compiled on the basis of common standards recommended by WHO (ICD-10) and Eurostat (IRIS, MUSE, EU-regulation April 2011).

The cost and burden of the data collection is reduced by using validation and dissemination IT tools.

17.1. Data revision - policy

Not applicable.

17.2. Data revision - practice

There is no systematic revision of previous year data. 

17.2.1. Data revision - average size

Not applicable.

18.1. Source data

The Cause of Death data are based on information of the death certificates, medical and forensic autopsies and results from queries regarding missing information on the certificates.

18.2. Frequency of data collection

Annual.

The source data is collected consecutively.

18.3. Data collection

See below.

 

18.3.1. Certification

See table 18.3.1. Certification in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.3.2. Automated Coding

See table 18.3.2. Automated Coding in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.3.3. Underlying cause of death

See table 18.3.3. Underlying cause of death in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.3.4. Availability of multiple cause

See table 18.3.4. Availability of multiple cause in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.3.5. Stillbirths and Neonatal certificates

We use the same death certificate for the neonates as we do for other deaths. In addition, the Cause of Death Registry and the Medical Birth Registry cooperate and exchange data.

• Stillbirths

A civil notification is reported to the Norwegian National Registry stating that the infant/fetus was stillborn. In addition, the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) receives a notification with information that the fetus/infant was stillborn and also the above mentioned data (characteristics of the fetus and information about the mother and the pregnancy). If there is an autopsy, the MBRN gets a copy of the autopsy report, and the causes of death are coded by a physician at the MBRN using the ICD-10. 

 

• Neonates

The Norwegian Cause of Death Registry gets supplementary information from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN). In addition a medical adviser gives support in choosing the underlying code. Neonates of non-residents motheres are not considered as resident in Norway.

There are some discrepansies between the data in Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and Medical Birth Registry of Norway due to separate registration.

18.4. Data validation

The statistics cover all persons registered by the The National Population Register of Norway (*) as inhabitants of Norway (residents) at their death, regardless of whether the death took place in Norway or abroad. In addition all non-resident persons dying in Norway are included, from the reference year 2013.

(*) The Norwegian Tax Administration is resposible ensuring that the The National Population Register of Norway is complete and up-to-date.

18.4.1. Coding

Description of coding procedure (central level, distributed among other bodies, etc.): All coding is centralised (NIPH)

Description of the procedures to detect errors (i.e.errors such as potential inconsistency in the death certificate or error due to mistake when filling the deaths certificates): The Norwegian Cause of Death Registry has fully implemented the IRIS system, with its associated rules and guidelines for selection of underlying cause of death, for routine coding. IRIS detects inconsistencies in the sequence in the death certificate and also rejects codes that cannot be the underlying cause of death.

Description of the measures taken in order to solve detected errors: If the medical data is incomplete, additional information is requested from the institution where the certificate was issued. The processing also includes reviewing and correcting the individual variables, including that the certificate is completed and that the above values are reasonable considering, among other things, the deceased's age and gender. 

Coding performed by a certifier: None.

Estimation of the percentage of autopsy from which information is available for coding: Approximately 8 percent of the deceased in Norway are autopsied.

Description of double coding exercises and rate of codification errors for underlying cause of death: None.

18.4.2. Unspecified CoD code

See table 18.4.2. Unspecified CoD code in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.4.3. Unknown country or region

See table 18.4.6. Unknown country or region in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

18.4.4. Validation of the coverage

The coverage of the annual 2024 was 99 percent, after sending out reminders during the year.

18.5. Data compilation

Not applicable.

The coding of diagnoses is according to ICD-10, and the underlying cause of death is identified by IRIS/MUSE.

The UC codes are further aggregated to the European Shortlist of causes of death (COD-SL-2012).

18.5.1. Imputation - rate

Not applicable.

18.6. Adjustment

Age adjusted rates are compiled by the European Standard Population (ESP2013).

18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment

Not applicable.

None.

Annex

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 of death 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 information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is mapped to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).

 

3 July 2026

Residency: A person that is living in Norway or intend to have residency in the country for 6 months or more, and is registered with an address by the Norwegian National Population Register. 

Definition of stillbirth: Gestational age:>= 22 weeks, weight: >=500 g (According to the Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN)).

Characteristics collected: Medical Birth Registry in Norway (MBRN) collects gestational age, births weight, crown heel lenghts, gender, pluarality, congenital malformations and deformations.

The statistical units are the deceased persons and the stillborns, respectively.

Data is based on data from Norwegian Cause of Death Registry and Medical Birth Registry in Norway. There are some discrepancies between this two data sources for children who are near the limit of viability.

Sex is based on legal information from Norwegian National Population Register.

Norway.

2024

Not formally validated.

The unit is number of persons.

Not applicable.

The coding of diagnoses is according to ICD-10, and the underlying cause of death is identified by IRIS/MUSE.

The UC codes are further aggregated to the European Shortlist of causes of death (COD-SL-2012).

The Cause of Death data are based on information of the death certificates, medical and forensic autopsies and results from queries regarding missing information on the certificates.

Annual. Two releases: preliminary and final statistics.

See table 14.1. Timeliness in annex COD_CODNSI_A_NO_2024_0000_an_1

All the geographical regions in Norway use the same death certificate, and all the death certificates are coded by the same group of coders at NIPH.

Autopsies influence determination of the underlying cause of death, but the autopsy frequncy may vary from region to region.

Over all, the degree of geographical comparability in the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry is high. 

Note that due to the fact that 2011 data is the first data collection with a legal basis (and few changes in the requested variables and breakdowns), the data between 1994-2010 and starting from 2011 are not always comparable (In part due to the different groupings of causes of deaths). Moreover time series for data on stillbirths starts in 2011 and no information on previous data is available. From 2018 electronic death certificates started to be used and from 2022 it is compulsory to use electronic death certificate instead of paper version.