1.1. Contact organisation
Statistics Poland
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Demographic Surveys Department
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Al. Niepodległości 208, 00-925 Warszawa, POLAND
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
24 October 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
24 October 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
24 October 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 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).
Please see annex 3.2 for a detailed table.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Public Health
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 Residence Population according to the definition in Regulation (EC) 1260/2013 Polish residents are all persons who reside or intend to reside in Poland for 12 months and
more.
It means that:
a) persons (registered for permanent stay in Poland) staying or intend to stay abroad for a period 12 months and more are excluded,
b) immigrants staying or intend to stay in Poland for a period 12 months and more are included.
From the total usual residence population are excluded: foreign military, naval, asylum seekers and diplomatic personnel and their families temporarily located in the country.
3.4.2. Stillbirth definition and characteristics collected
Stillbirth is death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from mother of a product of conception, on condition that weighted at least 500 grams (or 22 weeks of gestational
age); the death is indicated by the fact that after separation the foetus shows any signs of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of
voluntary muscles.
Up to 2014 and since 2018 the source of data of stillbirths was "Notification of birth" (live birth and stillbirth) and was collected:
For newborn: data and place of birth, sex, weight, crown-heel, multiplity, gestational age, place of delivery, number of previous live births or stillbirths, date of previous birth,
moment of death, citizenship;
For mother and father: data of birth, place of resident, PIN number (PESEL), marital status, data of marriage, educational level and source of maintenance.
For the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 the source of data of stillbirths is a hospital's report containing general information only: weight and place (voivodship) of occurance.
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical units are the deceased persons and the stillborns, respectively.
3.6. Statistical population
Object of the statistical population are the residents and non-resident who died within the territory of the Republic of Poland and also the stillbirths within the territory of the Republic of Poland.
3.6.1. Neonates of non-resident mothers
Neonatals of non-resident mothers are not considered residents.
But data on non-residents neonatals are collected (there were 2 neonatals of non-resident mothers in 2024). They will be include in national data according to Commision Regulation No 328/2011 and provided to Eurostat.
3.6.2. Non-residents
Statistics Poland don't include non-residents in national statistics.
But data on non-residents are collected (there were 691 deaths of non-resident in 2024). They will be include in national data according to Commision Regulation No 328/2011 and provided to Eurostat.
3.6.3. Residents dying abroad
Statistics Poland don't include residents dying abroad in national statistics
3.7. Reference area
Polish territory.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time series available from 1999 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The unit is number.
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
State and government administration - central and local, scientific/research establishments, universities (academic teachers, students), medical institutes (of Oncology, Cardiology, Mother and Child, Public Health), media and other individual users (natural persons and institutions).
It is possible to disseminate the annual data in the form of individual data or any selected correlations with maintenance of statistical confidentiality in accordance with provisions of the Official Statistics Act - Law on Public Statistics.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the Act on Official Statistics (Article 38).
All persons employed by Statistics Poland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Act on Official Statistics. Identifiable unit data obtained in statistical surveys may not be published nor made available.
Only aggregate data is available on the Statistics Poland website.
8.1. Release calendar
Methodological Report Vital statistics. Balances of population, Chapter 5. - Deaths, Point 5.5. - Presentation of results.
Yearly calendar of publications.
8.2. Release calendar access
Access to the release calendar information is available on the Statistics Poland website.
8.3. Release policy - user access
The general data release policy: Law on Public Statistics.
Annual dissemination
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
- Causes of death statistics. In Polish only.
- Definitions (Death, Infant deaths, Cause of death, Excess of mortality, Death rate). In English.
- Methodological report Vital statistic. Balances of population. In English.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Demographic Yearbook 2024: Statistics Poland / Topics / Statistical yearbooks / Statistical Yearbooks / Demographic Yearbook of Poland 2024
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
- In English: Stat website - podgrup.
- In English: Strateg website.
- In Polish only: Tables.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Information not available
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Micro-data are disseminated only to individual order (for example: National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, Institute of Cardiology, Institute of Oncology).
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Information not available
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Methodological Report Vital statistics. Balances of population, Chapter 5. - Deaths, Methodological report vital statistic balances of population.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
100%
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not applicable.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main users are Research Institutes, Universities, Public Government agencies, Business companies and natural persons. Users' needs include the most detailed, as well as recent CoD data.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available
12.3. Completeness
All statistics that are needed are available.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
1. For mandatory variables:
Data complete
2. For voluntary variables:
Data complet, except for causes of deaths to stillbirths
3. For additional variables:
- External CoD
Not applicable
- Place of occurrence for external CoD
Not applicable
- Activity for external CoD
Not applicable
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Poland has full completeness of deaths registration and majority of the variables collected as part of the survey should be assessed as of good quality, they are complete in subjective and objective scope. For many years, the exception and at the same time a problem have been quality of data on causes of death. In Poland, low quality of the information on causes of death results from incorrect presentation by the certifying physicians, of the process and the causes which lead to death. The basic problem is omission of chronological description of cause chain/diseases responsible for death of the patient or its incorrect presentation and in the consequence incorrect or imprecise indication of the initial cause of death.
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
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.
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
Please see annex 14.1 for a detailed table.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
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
Please see annex for more details
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Not applicable
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable
15.2. Comparability - over time
Not applicable
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Full comparability
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
Full comparability
IT tools reduce cost and burden of data collection.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics Poland doesn't perform systematic data revision of previous year data. The published data is definitive and is occasionally revised only, e.g. recalculated crude rates of deaths according the census population.
17.2. Data revision - practice
There is no systematic revision of previous year data. Data are only revised, e.g. if the "NUTS" changes.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Death Certificate - official administrative data.
Methodological Report Vital statistics. Balances of population, Chapter 5. - Deaths, Methodological report vital statistic balances of population.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual.
18.3. Data collection
Information about compile and code the causes of death is avaliable in Methodological report Vital statistic. Balances of population, Chapter - Deaths, page 32 (II stage - development of causes of death) Methodological report vital statistic balances of population.
18.3.1. Certification
This information is not available. Statistics Poland do not have such information.
18.3.2. Automated Coding
Please see annex 18.3.3 for a detailed table
18.3.3. Underlying cause of death
Please see annex for details
18.3.4. Availability of multiple cause
Please see annex for details
18.3.5. Stillbirths and Neonatal certificates
Data on stillbirths are collected on the basis of the "Notification of stillbirth".
Up to 2014 they was collected the same as data of live births and the source of this data was "Notification of birth" (selected on the notification - stillbirth).
For the years 2015, 2016 and 2017 the source of data of stillbirths was a hospital's report containing general information only: weight and place (voivodship) of occurance.
Since 2018 data is collected on the basis of the "Notification of stillbirth".
Data on neonates are collected on the basis of the "Death certificate".
18.4. Data validation
The data on causes of death registered in the electronic format are controlled with the use of a tool (the system of validation of causes of death, the so-called “table of crosses”) verifying justification of a particular cause of death in relation to sex and age of a deceased person (there are also taken into account such factors as the country’s natural/climatic conditions).
The process of validation the data on causes of death is closed by verification of the data included in the result table correlating sex and age of the deceased and the cause of death.
The verification is performed by specialists medical institutes, such as: National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, Institute of Cardiology, Institute of Oncology, Institute of Mother and Child.
18.4.1. Coding
Information about coding in Poland is available in Methodological Report Vital statistics. Balances of population, Chapter 5. - Deaths, Methodological report vital statistic balances of population.
Description of coding procedure (central level, distributed among other bodies, etc.):
Coding is carried out at a central level.
The deaths by causes are worked out on the basis of the initial cause of death. The initial cause is the disease, which was at the beginning of the morbid process and which caused the death; it may be also the injury or the poisoning, which caused the death.
In Poland a physician-coders are responsible for coding of the cause of death. Medical coders are a group of physicians specialized and trained in this field.
A physician-coder determines underlying (initial) cause of death based on the descriptions of the three causes of death on death certificate (immediate, secondary and underlining causes of death). Coding the causes of death assumes consultation of the physician-coder with the doctor who diagnosed death and filled in the death certificate. The coders may also use medical documentation regarding the to a deceased person.
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 data on causes of death registered in the electronic format are controlled with the use of a tool (the system of validation of causes of death, the so-called “table of crosses”) verifying justification of a particular cause of death in relation to sex and age of a deceased person (there are also taken into account such factors as the country’s natural/climatic conditions).
The process of validation the data on causes of death is closed by verification of the data included in the result table correlating sex and age of the deceased and the cause of death.
The verification is performed by specialists medical institutes, such as: National Institute of Public Health NIH - National Research Institute, Institute of Cardiology, Institute of Oncology, Institute of Mother and Child.
Description of the measures taken in order to solve detected errors:
According to the analysis carried out by the institutes, doubtful causes of death are checked again with medical documentation and consultation of the physician-coder with the doctor who diagnosed death and filled in the death certificate.
Coding performed by a certifier:
In Poland only a physician-coders are responsible for coding of the cause of death.
Estimation of the percentage of autopsy from which information is available for coding:
In Poland only 4% the deceased subjected to autopsy. Information of all autopsies are available for coding (in 2024 - 4.0%).
Description of double coding exercises and rate of codification errors for underlying cause of death:
Not applicable
18.4.2. Unspecified CoD code
Please see annex for details
18.4.3. Unknown country or region
Unknown country/region (%) for residents and non-residents who died in the country
Statistics Poland does not collect data on the region (NUTS2) of residence for non-resident, it only collects the country of residence for non-resident.
18.4.4. Validation of the coverage
Continuity of administrative deaths certificates' numbers of issued by Civil Status Office.
18.5. Data compilation
Sets of individual data on deaths are processing separately, without using the other data.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not applicable.
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 information provided in the medical certificate of cause of death is mapped to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).
24 October 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.
Object of the statistical population are the residents and non-resident who died within the territory of the Republic of Poland and also the stillbirths within the territory of the Republic of Poland.
Polish territory.
2024
Poland has full completeness of deaths registration and majority of the variables collected as part of the survey should be assessed as of good quality, they are complete in subjective and objective scope. For many years, the exception and at the same time a problem have been quality of data on causes of death. In Poland, low quality of the information on causes of death results from incorrect presentation by the certifying physicians, of the process and the causes which lead to death. The basic problem is omission of chronological description of cause chain/diseases responsible for death of the patient or its incorrect presentation and in the consequence incorrect or imprecise indication of the initial cause of death.
The unit is number.
Sets of individual data on deaths are processing separately, without using the other data.
Death Certificate - official administrative data.
Methodological Report Vital statistics. Balances of population, Chapter 5. - Deaths, Methodological report vital statistic balances of population.
Annual dissemination
Please see annex 14.1 for a detailed table.
Not applicable
Not applicable
