CRUDE

DEATH
RATE
CRUDE DEATH The crude death rate is the number of deaths

RATE occurring among the population of a given

geographical area during a given year, per 1,000
mid-year total population of the given
geographical area during the same year.

McDowell Tech | March 2020

WEIGHTED
AVERAGE
STATISTICAL
CONCEPT AND
METHODOLOGY
The crude death rate is calculated as the
number of deaths in a given period
divided by the population exposed to risk
of death in that period. For human
populations the period is usually one
year and, if the population changes in
size over the year, the divisor is taken as
the population at the mid-year. The rate
is usually expressed in terms of 1,000
people.
 SHORT DEFINITION

Crude death rate indicates the number of

deaths per 1,000 midyear population.

LONG DEFINITION

Crude death rate indicates the number of

deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000
population estimated at midyear. Subtracting
the crude death rate from the crude birth rate
provides the rate of natural increase, which
is equal to the rate of population change in
the absence of migration.
IMPORTANCE 125

100

Measuring how many people die each year and 75

why they died is one of the most important

means – along with gauging how diseases and 50

injuries are affecting people – for assessing the

effectiveness of a country’s health system. 25

Cause-of-death statistics help health authorities

determine their focus for public health actions. 0
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4
CALCULATION
CRUDE DEATH RATE IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS TO
RESIDENTS IN A SPECIFIED GEOGRAPHIC AREA (COUNTRY,
STATE, COUNTY, ETC.) DIVIDED BY THE TOTAL
POPULATION FOR THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA (FOR A
SPECIFIED TIME PERIOD, USUALLY A CALENDAR YEAR) AND
MULTIPLIED BY 100,000.
 FORMULA:

Crude Death Rate = Number of deaths within a year X 100,000

Total midyear population
 EXAMPLE:
1.
15,231 total deaths in New Mexico during calendar year 2006.
2,010,787 = estimated 2006 mid-year population for New Mexico.
Solution:
(15,231 / 2,010,787) x 100,000 = 757.5 resident deaths per 100,000 population in 2006 in New Mexico

2.
119,110 total resident deaths in Kentucky during calendar years 2003, 2004, 2005.
12,427,524 = sum of estimated 2003, 2004, 2005 mid-year populations.
Solution:
(119,110 / 12,427,524) x 100,000 = 958.4 deaths per 100,000 population (person-years at risk) during calendar
years 2003, 2004, 2005 in Kentucky.
 FORMULA:

Crude Death Rate = Number of deaths within a year X 1000

Total midyear population
EXAMPLE:
a crude death rate of 9.5 (per
1000 people) in a population
of 1 million would imply
9500 deaths per year in the
entire population.
 EXAMPLE:
In 2007, there were 4,000 death in a city
with population of 2,000,000. Therefore:
Item 5 Item 1
20% 20%

Crude Death Rate = Number of deaths within a year

Total midyear population
X 1,000

CDR = 4,000
X 1,000
Item 4
20%
Item 2
20%
2,000,000

CDR = 2

Item 3
20%

So, there were 2 death for every 1,000 people in the city
 A CRUDE DEATH RATE HAS
FOUR COMPONENTS:

1. A specified measurement period.

2. The numerator, the number of deaths that occurred in a specified
geographic area during a given period of time, and
3. The denominator, the total number of people in the population at risk in
the same geographic area for the same period of time ("person-years at
risk"). The population estimate used is typically the mid-year (July 1)
population count estimate for the same year(s) included in the numerator.
4. A constant. The result of the fraction is usually multiplied by some factor
of 10 (such as 100,000), so that the rate may be expressed as a whole
number.
THANK YOU !