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Mortality indicators, life expectancy and burden of disease
Mortality and burden indicators are used for comparison and planning: a death rate expresses risk in a population, proportionate mortality expresses only one cause's share of all deaths, and measures such as the DALY and years of life lost give weight also to death at a young age and to life with disability.
Why it matters in the exam
Items on this topic show a table of causes of death and ask what can be concluded – for example that a high proportionate mortality from cancer in one group does not prove its risk is higher, because it also depends on death rates from other causes. Other items test definitions: crude and age-specific death rates, the infant mortality rate per thousand live births, neonatal mortality (up to 28 days), perinatal mortality, the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births, and life expectancy at birth, computed from a period life table. Israeli data are also tested: cancer is the leading cause of death, followed by heart disease; life expectancy is above 80 years and among the highest in OECD countries; the total fertility rate is close to 3 children per woman, the highest in the OECD; and infant mortality is low. Burden-of-disease items ask which measure fits a comparison between fatal diseases and diseases causing mainly disability – the DALY – and why international comparisons require age standardization and a check on the quality of cause-of-death registration. Further items deal with excess mortality during an epidemic, computed as the difference between actual deaths and the number expected from previous years.
Key points
- Proportionate mortality expresses a share of all deaths, not risk.
- The infant mortality rate is computed per thousand live births.
- The maternal mortality ratio is computed per 100,000 live births.
- In Israel cancer is the leading cause of death, followed by heart disease.
- The DALY combines early death and life with disability.
Summary table
| Indicator | Definition | Exam point |
|---|---|---|
| Age-specific or cause-specific death rate | Deaths in a group divided by the population of that group | Allows comparison without the effect of age structure |
| Proportionate mortality | Deaths from one cause divided by all deaths | It is not a rate and does not express risk |
| Infant mortality rate | Deaths before age one per thousand live births | A sensitive indicator of health and services |
| Maternal mortality ratio | Death in pregnancy or within 42 days after it, per 100,000 live births | An indicator of the quality of obstetric services |
| Life expectancy at birth | The average number of years according to current death rates | Computed from a period life table |
| DALY | Years of life lost to early death and years lived with disability | Compares fatal diseases with disabling ones |
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Sources
- WHO, International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) reference guide, 2022 — Mortality definitions and certification
- Murray et al., Global Burden of Disease Study, 2019 and later rounds — Methods: YLL, YLD and DALY
- Israel Central Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health, Causes of death in Israel, recent reports — Leading causes of death and life expectancy
Sources are given for further reading; the text is written afresh and not copied from them.
Reviewed by the Examqo AI Professor · 2026-11-06. The text may contain errors; when in doubt, check the source.