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Side-by-Side Mortality Comparison

Select two countries to compare their mortality profiles, leading causes of death, and long-term trends.

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Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas, The Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Channel Islands Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Rep. Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czechia Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt, Arab Rep. El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong SAR, China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Rep. Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Dem. People's Rep. Korea, Rep. Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyz Republic Lao PDR Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao SAR, China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia, Fed. Sts. Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico (US) Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovak Republic Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Fed. Rep. South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Martin (French part) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkiye Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, RB Viet Nam Virgin Islands (U.S.) West Bank and Gaza Yemen, Rep. Zambia Zimbabwe
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Compare Mortality Between Countries

Side-by-side death rate analysis across 204 nations

How does mortality in the United States compare to Japan? What separates death patterns in Nigeria from those in Germany? The Compare tool enables direct, data-driven comparisons between any two of the 204 countries tracked by the Global Burden of Disease Study. Every comparison uses age-standardised death rates to ensure fair analysis regardless of demographic differences.

The comparison includes total mortality rates, the top leading causes of death for each country, population context, and a detailed cause-by-cause difference table. This makes it a powerful tool for public health researchers, students of epidemiology, journalists covering global health, and anyone interested in understanding how mortality patterns vary across borders and income levels.

Frequently Asked Questions
How do I compare mortality rates between two countries?

Select any two countries from the dropdown menus and choose a year. The tool instantly generates a side-by-side comparison of total death rates, leading causes, population data, and a detailed difference table showing which causes are more prevalent in each country.

Which countries have the most different mortality profiles?

The biggest differences typically appear when comparing a high-income country (e.g. Japan, Switzerland) with a low-income country (e.g. Chad, Somalia). High-income nations are dominated by cardiovascular disease and cancer, while low-income countries face higher burdens from communicable diseases, neonatal conditions, and injuries.

Are the death rates age-standardised for fair comparison?

Yes. All rates shown are age-standardised per 100,000 population, which adjusts for differences in age structure between countries. This means you can fairly compare a young population like Nigeria with an older one like Japan without the results being distorted by demographic composition.

Can I compare mortality trends over time between countries?

Yes. The comparison tool includes a trends chart that shows how death rates for leading causes have evolved in both countries from 1990 to 2023. You can see convergence, divergence, and dramatic shifts in mortality patterns.

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