Human mortality database

Abstract

The HMD is the leading data source on mortality in developed countries. The database provides detailed and highly accurate mortality estimates for the full range of ages up to the open age interval 110+. The project follows the open data policy by developing freely available and userfriendly mortality estimates that are internationally comparable. The HMD provides not only its own estimates but the original input data used to produce these estimates. An important advantage of the HMD relative to other international mortality data resources is that it provides careful and transparent documentation of both the data and the methods used for each particular country. The HMD follows four guiding principles: • Comparability across time and space of the reconstructed series through the use of standardized approaches and software for data manipulation • Flexibility through the publication of data in a variety of formats • Accessibility through the free access to all data for all registered users • Reproducibility through an extensive documentation, access to the original input data, a detailed description of the methodology, and the publication of HMD scripts The HMD data series are updated regularly with a continuous effort to extend them both backward and forward in time when additional data are identified. The further expansion of the HMD to a wider range of countries is limited by the quality of the original vital statistics and population data. However, emerging alternative data sources and novel methodological approaches should provide new opportunities to include more countries in the HMD in the future.