World mortality report 2005

The main objective of this report is to compile and summarize available information about levels and trends of mortality and life expectancy for national populations. It presents estimates of key mortality indicators for 192 countries and areas including all countries/areas with a population of 100,000 or greater in 2000. A related goal is to compare estimates from various sources to those derived by the United Nations Population Division as the baseline for its mortality projections, which are a key input for its biennial assessment of population prospects (see World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision, United Nations, 2005). Aside from a comparison of mortality data from different sources, the report permits an assessment of gaps in information. This can provide crucial insights especially in relation to child mortality and HIV/AIDs.