Deaths, Australia methodology

Statistics in this release relate to the number of deaths registered during the calendar year shown, unless otherwise stated. Statistics relating to deaths by year of occurrence can be obtained from Data Explorer datasets available electronically, from the Data downloads tab.

The ABS Death Registrations collection includes all deaths that occurred and were registered in Australia, including deaths of persons whose place of usual residence was overseas. Deaths of Australian residents that occurred outside Australia may be registered by individual Registrars, but are not included in ABS death statistics. However, deaths of identified Australian diplomats while overseas are included.

The scope of the statistics includes:

• all deaths being registered for the first time
• deaths of temporary visitors to Australia
• deaths that occurred within Australian Territorial waters
• deaths that occurred in Australian Antarctic Territories or other external territories
• deaths that occurred on Norfolk Island from 1 July 2016
• deaths that occurred in transit (i.e. on ships or planes) if registered in the Australian state or territory of 'next port of call'
• deaths of Australian nationals employed overseas at Australian legations and consular offices (i.e. deaths of Australian diplomats while overseas) where able to be identified
• deaths that occurred in earlier years that have not previously been registered (late registrations).
   

The scope of the statistics excludes:

• still births/fetal deaths (these are included in perinatal death statistics published in Causes of Death, Australia, and previously Perinatal Deaths, Australia)
• deaths that occurred on Norfolk Island prior to 1 July 2016
• repatriation of human remains of those whose death occurred overseas
• deaths of foreign diplomatic staff in Australia (where able to be identified).

Prior to 2007, the scope for the reference year of the Death Registrations collection included:

• deaths registered in the reference year and received by the ABS in the reference year
• deaths registered in the reference year and received by the ABS in the first quarter of the subsequent year
• deaths registered during the two years prior to the reference year but not received by the ABS until the reference year.

From 2007 onwards, the scope for each reference year of the Death Registrations collection includes:

• deaths registered in the reference year and received by the ABS in the reference year
• deaths registered in the reference year and received by the ABS in the first quarter of the subsequent year
• deaths registered in the years prior to the reference year but not received by the ABS until the reference year or the first quarter of the subsequent year, provided that these records have not been included in any statistics from earlier periods.

Ideally, for compiling annual time series, the number of deaths should be recorded as all those occurring within a given reference period such as a calendar year. Due to lags in registration of deaths and the provision of that information to the ABS from the state and territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM), data are presented on a year of registration basis, unless otherwise stated.

In effect, there are three dates attributable to each death registration:

• the date of occurrence (of the death)
• the date of registration or inclusion on the state/territory register
• the month and year in which the registered event is provided to the ABS.

Registration of deaths is the responsibility of the state and territory RBDMs. Information about the deceased is acquired from a Death Registration Form (DRF) which is completed by the funeral director, based on information supplied by a relative or other person acquainted with the deceased, or by an official of the institution where the death occurred. As part of the registration process, information on the cause of death is either supplied by the medical practitioner certifying the death on a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), or supplied as a result of a coronial investigation. This information is provided to the ABS by individual Registrars for coding and compilation into aggregate statistics shown in this release. Core data items are collected in all states and territories and therefore statistics at the national level are available for key characteristics. Some states collect additional information.

Marital status relates to the registered marital status of the deceased at the time of death and refers to formally registered marriages or divorces for which a certificate is held.

From 2007 onwards, the categories of separated but not divorced and marital status not stated are also included in total deaths.

This issue of Deaths includes data cubes containing death and mortality statistics on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) and the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC). For further information refer to:

• Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3
• Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016

As a result of an amendment made in 1992 to section 17(a) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901-1973 (Cwlth) the Indian Ocean territories of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands have been included as part of geographic Australia, hence another category of the state and territory classification has been created. This category is known as 'Other Territories' and includes Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Jervis Bay Territory. From 1 July 2016, 'Other Territories' also include Norfolk Island following the introduction of the Norfolk Island Legislation Amendment Act 2015.

Prior to 1993, deaths of persons usually resident in Christmas Island or Cocos (Keeling) Islands were included with Off-Shore Areas and Migratory in Western Australia, while deaths of persons usually resident in Jervis Bay Territory were included with the Australian Capital Territory. In 2023, there were 12 deaths of persons usually resident in Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands or Jervis Bay Territory, and 13 deaths of persons usually resident in Norfolk Island.

Death statistics for states and territories have been compiled and presented according to the state or territory of usual residence of the deceased, regardless of where in Australia the death occurred and was registered, except where otherwise stated. Deaths which took place outside Australia are excluded from the statistics, with the exception of Australian diplomats, where identified.

In the following table, data is presented on both a state or territory of registration and state or territory of usual residence basis. Deaths which took place outside Australia are excluded from the statistics, with the exception of Australian diplomats, where identified. Deaths of persons who were usual residents of Australia's Other Territories including Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Jervis Bay Territory are not registered in these Other Territories but are instead registered in other Australian states and territories. Deaths occurring on Norfolk Island are registered by the Norfolk Island Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages which sits within the Norfolk Island Regional Council. These are not output separately by state of registration but are included in the totals for Australia.

In 2023, there were 477 deaths registered in Australia of persons who usually lived overseas. These have been included in this release with state or territory of usual residence classified according to the state or territory in which the death was registered.

Rates for sub-state/territory regions (for example Statistical Areas Level 2, 4, LGA and Remoteness Areas) presented in the data cubes are calculated for each calendar year and then averaged using data for three years, ending in the reference year.

Rates for sub-state/territory regions by Indigenous status (for example Indigenous Remoteness Areas) presented in the data cubes are calculated for each calendar year and then averaged using data for three years, ending in the reference year.

Rates for the total population for Australia and state/territory by Indigenous status in the Data Explorer datasets are also calculated for each calendar year and then averaged using data for three years, ending in the reference year.

Rates for the total population for Australia and state/territory (as reported on the topic and Data Explorer datasets) are based on death registration data for the reference year only.

To protect confidentiality, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has adopted a technique to randomly adjust cells with small values. Cells with a value of zero have not been affected by this randomisation. As a result, sums of components may not add exactly to totals. The technique has been applied to all data issued in this release with the exception of median age calculations. These very minor adjustments allow for a greater amount of data to be released, and as they are small, do not affect the utility of the data.

The Census and Statistics Act 1905 provides the authority for the ABS to collect statistical information, and requires that statistical output shall not be published or disseminated in a manner that is likely to enable the identification of a particular person or organisation. This requirement means that the ABS must take care and make assurances that any statistical information about individual respondents cannot be derived from published data.

Where necessary, tables in this release have had small values suppressed or randomised to protect confidentiality. As a result, sums of components may not add exactly to totals. These very minor adjustments allow for a greater amount of data to be released, and as they are small, do not affect the utility of the data.

Calculations as shown in the commentary sections of this release are based on unrounded figures. Calculations undertaken by data users using rounded figures may differ from those released. Where figures have been rounded in tables, discrepancies may occur between sums of component items and totals.

Every effort is made to minimise error by working closely with data providers, including supporting the careful design of forms, training of processing staff, and efficient data processing procedures.

The 'sex' variable has traditionally been interpreted as reflecting the sex of the deceased, as reported at birth. In recent years, some states and territories have amended their jurisdictional-based Births, Deaths and Marriages legislation to allow for gender identity to be reported or updated on birth and death registrations. For a death registration, the change in legislation means that a person’s gender identity may be recorded. The terms 'sex' and 'gender' are interrelated and often used interchangeably, however they are two distinct concepts, and a person's sex may differ to their gender identity. Data for 'sex' in this publication may refer to:

• the person's sex reported at birth. This is currently how the vast majority of deaths are captured.
• the person's gender identity.

Data for sex is output in tables as ‘males’ and ‘females’ only. Sex not stated may be included in totals.

With the legislative changes, there are now instances in the data where a person has died from a cause of death that is not traditionally considered to be consistent with their reported sex. For example, prostate cancer may be recorded for a female, or ovarian cancer may be recorded for a male. While the number of such deaths is very small for 2023, they are expected to increase over time.

Date of death (day, month and year)

Date of registration (month and year)

State or territory of registration

Age at death

Country of birth

Year of birth

Duration of residence in Australia, if born overseas

Indigenous status

Indigenous structure - Indigenous Locations (ILOCs), Indigenous Areas (IAREs) and Indigenous Regions (IREGs)

Marital status

Remoteness Area

Sex

State or territory of usual residence

Statistical Areas Level (2, 3 and 4) of usual residence

There were 5,001 deaths caused by COVID-19 in the 2023 reference year (2.7% of all deaths). This is a decrease from 2022, when 9,862 deaths due to the virus occurred. COVID-19-related deaths were the largest contributor to the increase in deaths and death rates in the 2022 reference year and was the 3rd leading cause of death across Australia. In 2023, COVID-19 was the 9th leading cause of death. For more information on COVID-19 related deaths, see Causes of Death, Australia.

For information on the institutional environment of the ABS, including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of the ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.

Death statistics released by the ABS are sourced from death registrations systems administered by the various state and territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages. It is a legal requirement of each state and territory that all deaths are registered. Information about the deceased is supplied by a relative or other person acquainted with the deceased, or by an official of the institution where the death occurred. As part of the registration process, information on the cause of death is either supplied by the medical practitioner certifying the death on a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, or supplied as a result of a coronial investigation.

Death statistics are one of the components in the production of estimates of natural increase (the difference between numbers of births and deaths) used as a component of population change in the calculation of population estimates of Australia and the states and territories. The primary uses of population estimates are in the determination of seats in the House of Representatives for each state and territory, as well as in the distribution of Australian Government funds to state, territory and local governments. Population estimates are also used for a wide range of government, business and community decisions, both directly and indirectly, by contributing to a range of other social, health and economic indicators.

Death statistics are also essential in the analysis of morbidity and mortality in Australia and inform on the population's growth and replacement. Trends in mortality are used in the development of assumptions of future levels of mortality for population projections.

Deaths, Australia contains statistics for deaths and mortality in Australia. Data refer to deaths registered during the calendar year shown, unless otherwise stated. Statistics on demographic characteristics of the deceased such as age at death, sex, place of usual residence, marital status, Indigenous status and country of birth are included.

Deaths data include:

• any death which occurs in, or en route to Australia, including deaths of persons whose usual place of residence is overseas, and is registered with a state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
   

Deaths data exclude:

• still births/fetal deaths (these are included in perinatal death statistics released in Causes of Death, Australia, and previously, Perinatal Deaths, Australia); and
• deaths of Australian residents which occur outside Australia.
   

Death records are provided electronically to the ABS by individual state/territory Registrars on a monthly basis for compilation into aggregate statistics on a quarterly and annual basis.

Annual estimates on a year of registration basis are generally released within eleven months of the end of the reference year in Deaths, Australia.

One dimension of timeliness in death registrations data is the interval between the occurrence and registration of a death. As a result, nationally, around 6% of deaths occurring in one year are not registered until the following year or later.

Information on deaths is obtained from a complete enumeration of deaths registered during a specified period and are not subject to sampling error. However, deaths data sources are subject to non-sampling error.

Sources of non-sample error include:

• inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing data
• completeness of an individual record at a given point in time
• completeness of the dataset (e.g. impact of registration lags, processing lags and duplicate records)
• extent of coverage of the population (whilst all deaths are legally required to be registered, some cases may not be registered for an extended time, if at all)
• lack of consistency in the forms between different jurisdictions and in the interpretation of the forms by informants.
   

Every effort is made to minimise error by working closely with data providers, including supporting the careful design of forms, training of processing staff, and efficient data processing procedures.

Although it is considered likely that the vast majority of deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are registered, a proportion of these registered deaths are not identified as such. Information about the deceased is supplied by a relative or other person acquainted with the deceased, or by an official of the institution where the death occurred and may differ from the self-identified Indigenous status of the deceased. Forms are often not subject to the same design principles as statistical questionnaires, and respondent and/or interviewer understanding is rarely tested. Over-precise analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths and mortality should be avoided.

The international standards and recommendations for the definition and scope of deaths statistics in a vital statistics system are set out in the Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System Revision 2, released by the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD). Consistent with the UNSD recommendations, the ABS defines a death as the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after a live birth has taken place. In addition, the UNSD recommends that the deaths to be counted include all deaths "occurring in every geographic area and in every population group comprising the national area". For the purposes of Australia, this includes all deaths occurring within Australia as defined by the Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 that applies at the time.

Registration of deaths is compulsory in Australia under relevant state/territory legislation. However, each state/territory Registry has its own death registration form. Most data items are collected in all states and territories and therefore statistics at a national level are available for most characteristics. In some cases, different wording of questions asked on the registration form may result in different answers, which may affect final figures.

Use of the supporting documentation released with the statistics is important for assessing coherence within the dataset and when comparing the statistics with data from other sources. Changing processes over time and/or across data sources can affect consistency and hence interpretability of statistical output. The Explanatory notes in each issue contains information pertinent to that particular release which may impact on comparison over time.

Data presented in this release are reported by year of registration (unless otherwise stated) and differ from deaths statistics released in National, state and territory population which are reported on a year/quarter of occurrence basis in revised and final data for use in population estimates.

Statistics relating to cause of death are released annually by the ABS in Causes of Death, Australia.

Deaths statistics are generally straightforward and easy to interpret. It should be noted, however, that changes in numbers of deaths over time can be due to a number of factors including changes in mortality and changes in the size and age/sex structure of the population. For this reason, deaths data needs to be considered in relation to the size of the relevant population(s) through the use of mortality rates.

Information on mortality rates, as well as data sources, terminology, classifications and other technical aspects associated with the statistics presented in this release can be found in the Explanatory notes - Characteristics available and Glossary.

Deaths data is available in a variety of formats on the ABS website.

The formats are:

• web contents, which contains release commentary
• data cubes (in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format)
• Data Explorer datasets.
   

Further information on deaths and mortality may be available on request. See Explanatory notes - Characteristics available for a list of data items available. The ABS observes strict confidentiality protocols as required by the Census and Statistics Act (1905). This may restrict access to data at a very detailed level which is sought by some users.

The ABS Death Registrations collection identifies a death as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander where the deceased is recorded as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both on the Death Registration Form (DRF). The Indigenous status is also derived from the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) for South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory from 2007, Queensland from 2015, New South Wales from 2022 and Victoria from 2023. If the Indigenous status reported in the DRF does not agree with that in the MCCD, an identification from either source that the deceased was an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander is given preference over non-Indigenous. Additionally in 2023, for coroner referred deaths across all jurisdictions information captured on the National Coronial Information System during the coronial investigation process has been made available to the ABS.

General: The age-specific death rate (ASDR) is the number of deaths (registered) during the calendar year, at a specified age, per 1,000 of the estimated resident population (ERP) at the mid-point of the year (30 June). Pro rata adjustment is made in respect of deaths for which the age of the deceased is not given.

Indigenous status: The age-specific death rate (ASDR) is the number of deaths (registered), by Indigenous status, during the calendar year, at a specified age, per 100,000 of the Indigenous status ERP of the same age at the mid-point of the year (30 June). Pro rata adjustment is made in respect of deaths for which the age of the deceased is not given. These rates are based on three year averages. They are calculated for each calendar year and then averaged.

The ASGS brings all the regions for which the ABS publishes statistics within the one framework and has been in use for the collection and dissemination of geographically classified statistics. It is the current framework for understanding and interpreting the geographical context of statistics published by the ABS.

For more information, please refer to Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3.

The delivery of a child, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, who, after being born, breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as heartbeat.

The classification of countries used is the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC).

For more information, please refer to Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC).

The crude death rate (CDR) is the number of deaths registered during the calendar year per 1,000 estimated resident population at 30 June.

The permanent disappearance of all evidence of life after birth has taken place. The definition excludes deaths prior to live birth. For the purposes of the Deaths and Causes of Death collections compiled by the ABS, a death refers to any death which occurs in, or en route to Australia and is registered with a state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

The official measure of the population of Australia. It refers to all people, regardless of their country of citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. It includes usual residents who are overseas for less than 12 months over a 16 month period. It excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for less than 12 months over a 16 month period.

Australian external territories include Australian Antarctic Territory, Coral Sea Islands Territory, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and Territory of Heard and McDonald Islands.

See Standardised death rate (SDR).

The death of a live-born child who dies before reaching their first birthday.

The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under 1 year of age registered during the calendar year per 1,000 live births in the same period.

An ABS approximation of the officially gazetted Local Government Areas (LGAs) as defined by each state and territory local government department. LGAs cover incorporated areas of Australia, which are legally designated areas for which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. The major areas of Australia not administered by incorporated bodies are the northern parts of South Australia and all of the Australian Capital Territory and the Other Territories. These regions are identified as 'Unincorporated' in the ABS LGA structure.

For more information, please refer to Non ABS Structures, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3.

Two separate concepts of marital status are measured by the ABS. These are registered marital status and social marital status.

Registered marital status refers to formally registered marriages and divorces. Registered marital status is a person's relationship status in terms of whether he or she has, or has had, a registered marriage with another person. Accordingly, people are classified as either 'never married', 'married', 'widowed', or 'divorced'. Statistics included in this release are based on registered marital status and include the additional categories of separated but not divorced and not stated marital status in total deaths.

For any distribution, the median value (age, duration, interval) is that value which divides the relevant population into two equal parts, half falling below the value, and half exceeding it. Where the value for a particular record has not been stated, that record is excluded from the calculation.

see Death.

The number of births minus the number of deaths.

Following the 1992 amendments to the Acts Interpretation Act to include the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as part of geographic Australia, another category at the state and territory level was created, known as Other Territories. From 1 July 2016 the Australian Government assumed responsibility for Norfolk Island. Other Territories includes Jervis Bay Territory, previously included with the Australian Capital Territory, as well as Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island.

The ASGS defines RAs into 5 classes of relative remoteness across Australia. Each RA is created from the grouping of Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1) identifying a (non-contiguous) region in Australia having a particular degree of remoteness.

The 5 classes of remoteness are: Major Cities, Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote.

For more information, please refer to Remoteness Structure, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3.

The number of males per 100 females in a particular population. For example, sex ratio at birth is the number of male births per 100 female births.

The standard population is all persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001. For specific data see National, state and territory population - Data downloads - data cubes - Standard Population - standard population used in age-standardised rates.

The death rate (deaths per 1,000 or per 100,000) of a population, adjusted to remove the effects of the population's age composition, allowing comparison of rates across populations with different age compositions. The standard population is available from National, state and territory population - Data downloads - data cubes.

Standardised death rates enable comparison over time and between jurisdictions, by controlling for the impact of different age structures.

There are two methods of calculating standardised death rates:

• The direct method - this is used when the populations under study are large and the age-specific death rates are reliable. It is the overall death rate that would have prevailed in the standard population if it had experienced at each age the death rates of the population under study.
• The indirect method - this is used when the populations under study are small and the age-specific death rates are unreliable or not known. It is an adjustment to the crude death rate of the standard population to account for the variation between the actual number of deaths in the population under study and the number of deaths which would have occurred if the population under study had experienced the age-specific death rates of the standard population.

Standardised death rates included in this release are based on the direct method.

State or territory of registration refers to the state or territory in which the death was registered. It is the state or territory in which the death occurred, but is not necessarily the deceased's state or territory of usual residence. Deaths registered by the Norfolk Island Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages which sits within the Norfolk Island Regional Council are not counted in any Australian state or territory of registration but are included in the Australian totals.

State or territory of usual residence refers to the state or territory in which the deceased usually resided. Deaths registered by the Norfolk Island Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages which sits within the Norfolk Island Regional Council are presented by the state or territory in which the deceased usually resided. If the deceased normally resided on Norfolk Island, these deaths are counted in the category of “Other territories” and are included in the Australian totals.

An area defined in the ASGS and designed as the smallest unit for the release of Census data. They generally have a population of 200 to 800 people, and an average population of about 400 people. SA1s in remote and regional areas generally have smaller populations than those in urban areas. There are 61,845 SA1s and they cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. Deaths data is not available at this level of geography.

A general-purpose medium-sized area defined in the ASGS and built from whole SA1s. They aim to represent communities that interact together socially and economically. SA2s are based on officially gazetted suburbs and localities. In urban areas, SA2s largely conform to one or more whole suburbs, while in rural areas they generally define the functional zone of a regional centre. SA2s generally have a population range of 3,000 to 25,000 people, and an average population of about 10,000 people. There are 2,473 SA2s and they cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. SA2s are the base unit for preparing sub-state mortality statistics.

An area defined in the ASGS and built up from SA2s which provides a standardised regional breakup of Australia. SA3s aim to create a standard framework for the analysis of ABS data at the regional level through clustering groups of whole SA2s that have similar regional characteristics. Their boundaries reflect a combination of widely recognised informal regions as well as existing administrative regions such as State Government Regions in rural areas and Local Government Areas in urban areas. SA3s generally range in population from 30,000 to 130,000 people. There are 359 SA3s and they cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps.

An area defined in the ASGS and designed for the output of labour force data and to reflect labour markets. In rural areas, SA4s generally represent aggregations of multiple small labour markets with socioeconomic connections or similar industry characteristics. Large regional city labour markets are generally defined by a single SA4. Within major metropolitan labour markets SA4s represent sub-labour markets. SA4s are built from whole SA3s. They generally have a population over 100,000 people to enable accurate labour force survey data to be generated. There are 108 SA4s and they cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps.

Within Australia, usual residence is the address of the dwelling at which a person considers themselves to currently live, either having lived there for some time or intending to live there for some time.

The year the death occurred.

The year the death was registered.