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Demographics

Population, Income & Mortality

Explore how population size, economic development, and income classification relate to mortality patterns across countries.

Select Country
Population
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Total Death Rate
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per 100,000
GDP per Capita
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PPP (int. $)
Income Group
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Population vs Death Rate
Each point is a country, coloured by income group. Selected country highlighted.
Mortality by Income Group
Average total death rate per 100k
Regional Mortality Profile
Average rate by disease category per region
Country vs Region Average
Cause-specific death rates compared to the regional average (all 9 L2 causes)
GDP per Capita vs Mortality (Preston Curve)
Higher income generally tracks lower death rates. Points coloured by region, with log-linear fit.
Demographics Rankings
Click any column header to sort
Country Population Death Rate GDP/Capita Income Group Region
Mortality Age Distribution
How deaths are distributed across age groups
Year: 2023
Mortality Pyramid by Age
Deaths by age group — younger on bottom, older on top. Left axis: age brackets. Bar length: number of deaths.
Year: 2023
When Will Population Start Shrinking?
Projected year natural increase crosses zero (births = deaths)
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Projected crossover year
Natural Increase Rate
Estimated birth rate minus death rate (per 1,000 population)
Birth-Death Balance
Crude birth rate (estimated) vs death rate per 1,000 population
Birth rate estimated from population growth + death rate. Excludes migration effects, so figures are approximate. Where population change exceeds what births and deaths alone explain, net migration is the likely factor.
Vaccination Coverage vs Child Mortality
Countries with higher immunization rates consistently have lower under-5 death rates
Death Flow: Age → Cause
How deaths distribute from age groups into cause categories
YLL vs YLD: Killers vs Disablers
Which conditions kill early (high YLL) versus cause chronic suffering (high YLD)?
The Generation Gap
How mortality risk differs for people born in different decades
Global Deaths: Region × Cause
A mosaic chart showing how deaths distribute across regions and causes
Explore by Age Group
Explore by Income Group

Demographics and Mortality

Population, income, and economic development in context

Mortality patterns are deeply intertwined with demographic and economic factors. The Demographics tool provides context for understanding why death rates vary so dramatically between countries. Explore how population size, GDP per capita, and World Bank income classification relate to mortality outcomes.

Visualise the Preston curve to see how income and mortality relate globally. Identify countries that outperform or underperform their economic peers. Understand how demographic factors create the conditions that shape national mortality profiles and public health priorities.

Frequently Asked Questions
How does GDP relate to mortality rates?

Higher GDP per capita is generally associated with lower age-standardised death rates. Wealthier countries can invest more in healthcare, sanitation, nutrition, and public health infrastructure. However, the relationship is not linear: some middle-income countries achieve better mortality outcomes than their wealth would predict, while others underperform.

What is the Preston curve?

The Preston curve describes the empirical relationship between national income and life expectancy or mortality. It shows that health gains from economic growth are largest at lower income levels and diminish at higher incomes. The Demographics tool visualises this relationship across all 204 countries.

How does income classification affect mortality patterns?

The World Bank classifies countries into low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income groups. Each group has characteristic mortality patterns: low-income countries face higher communicable disease burden, while high-income countries see more deaths from non-communicable diseases and age-related conditions.

Related Explorations
Country Profiles