Deaths, 2015

Municipality.

Annual final figures, quarterly preliminary figures.

FN. Eurostat.

Files at the individual level which are processed and stored long-term.

The statistics show the number of deaths over the course of one year. Mortality rates, infant mortality and life expectancy can indicate the general health of the population.

Statistics Norway has national figures dating back to 1735 and county figures from around 1950.

Public administration, politicians, the media, lawyers, the insurance industry and researchers who study demographics and living standards.

Not relevant

Death statistics are included in the population accounts as one of the components for understanding the changes in the population.

From 1 January 2000 the same definition will mainly be used in the quarterly figures vis-à-vis the final statistics. The main difference is that in the final death statistics there is a two-month wait before the death reports are taken out, while in the quarterly figures there is only a one-month wait. From 1 January 2002 there is one-month wait before the death report are taken out, such as the quarterly figures.

Another source of death statistics is the cause of death register at the Division for Health Statistics.

The number of deaths in causes of death statistics does not completely coincide with the number of deaths in Statistics Norway’s population statistics. The difference used to be more extensive due to different routines regarding delayed reporting.

The differences in the number of deaths in recent years are due to the fact that population statistics are not including civilian death certificates received after the end of January the following year, while causes of deaths statistics includes medical death certificates received until just before publishing the results, for example for the 2010 statistics until the end of September 2011. On the other hand population statistics are including deaths that occurred in previous years, with a change in birth year and death year for the deceased so that age at death will be correct.

The different routines have, for the last twenty years, resulted in a yearly difference in the number of deaths by plus/minus 100 with a few exceptions. Please note that even for a statistical year with an equal number of deaths the two statistics can include a different group of (population of) deaths, for instance regarding age, gender and so on for approximately 200 persons. Nevertheless, over a time span of several statistical years the populations with be approximately identical.

Statistics Act §§ 2-1, 2-2, 3-2

Not relevant

The statistics cover only persons registered as living in Norway at the time of their death, without regard to whether the death took place in Norway or abroad.

The statistics for 1999 mainly cover deaths that actually occurred in 1999. Deaths from all previous years are counted in the 1999 figures if the report was made between 1 March 1999 and 29 February 2000, i.e. too late to be included in the 1998 or earlier annual statistics.

From 1985 to 1998 the statistics covered deaths that actually had happened during the year and in addition only deaths from the preceding year which were recorded too late to be included in the statistics.

From 2002 the statistics cover deaths from all previous years if the report was made between 1 March and 31 January 2003, i.e. too late to be included in the 2001 or earlier annual statistics.

Death statistics are based on population register data. The figures from 1995 and later are based on the Central Population Register (DSF) at the Directorate of Taxes, while the figures for 1968-1994 are taken from its predecessor, the National Population Register (DSP). The register was built up from 1964 to 1966 on the basis of the 1960 census, at the same time as the 11-digit national identity number was introduced as identification. The Office of the National Registrar, which administrates the register, was transferred in 1991 from Statistics Norway to the Directorate of Taxes.

Since 1946 each municipality has had a local population registry that registers all residents in the municipality, pursuant to the Population Registration Act and its regulations. The population registries receive reports of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, migration etc. from various sources.

Deaths are reported by the probate court or sheriff to the population registry in the deceased person's municipality of residence. Reports of deaths abroad of persons who were residents of Norway are received via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Norwegian Maritime Directorate.

Updating of the Central Population Register is done in part by the local population registries, which are connected to the DSF via terminals, and in part by the Directorate of Taxes. The basis of the statistics on changes in the population is electronic copies to Statistics Norway of all such register updates. The reports are also used to update a separate Statistics Norway population database kept for statistical purposes, which forms the basis for the statistics on the composition of the population.

Data on basic statistical units are taken from the address portion of the Ground Property, Address and Building Register (GAB) owned by the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

Not relevant.

Not relevant.

In addition to checks made by the DSF, Statistics Norway performs checks for statistical purposes. For further details of the controls that are done, see 3.7.3. in the report:

Dokumentasjon av BESYS-befolkningsstatistikksystemet. Befolkningsendringer i 1998 og befolkningsbasen (BEBAS) 1. januar 2000. Anne Sofie Brørs, Kirsten Dybendal, Aslaug Hurlen Foss og Trude Jakobsen, Notat 2000/24 Statistics Norway. ISSN 0806-3745 (in Norwegian only)

The statistics counts deaths by sex, age, marital status and citizenship.

Not relevant

If a table consists zero, one or two units and disclosing these units can lead to identification of individuals, the figure is rounded up or left empty.

In 1999 the scope of which deaths are included was changed, leading to an 0.3 per cent increase in the number of deaths compared with the previous definition.

The method for calculating life expectancy was revised in 1998. The difference with the old method of calculation was a couple of hundredths.