Glossary of Terms
Plain-language definitions of the epidemiological and statistical terms used throughout the Human Mortality Explorer. If a term in our charts or analysis confuses you, look it up here.
Glossary of Mortality & Epidemiology Terms
Key definitions for understanding the Human Mortality Explorer
The Human Mortality Explorer uses specialised terminology from epidemiology, demography, and public health. This glossary provides clear definitions of the key terms and concepts encountered throughout the tool, from age-standardised death rates to cause hierarchies.
Whether you are a researcher, student, journalist, or curious citizen, this reference guide will help you interpret the data correctly and understand the methodological choices behind the visualisations.
What does age-standardised death rate mean?
An age-standardised death rate adjusts for differences in population age structure, enabling fair comparisons between countries with different demographics. It answers: if every country had the same age distribution, what would the death rate be?
What is the IHME Global Burden of Disease Study?
The IHME GBD Study is the most comprehensive worldwide epidemiological effort, quantifying health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors across 204 countries from 1990 to 2023. It is the primary data source for the Human Mortality Explorer.
What is the difference between crude and age-standardised rates?
Crude rates are the actual number of deaths per population. Age-standardised rates adjust for age structure differences, making them more useful for comparing populations with different age profiles. The Human Mortality Explorer uses age-standardised rates throughout.