Evaluation of vital statistics data from civil registration 

United Nations, New York, 3-4 November 2016

The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, together with Statistics Korea (KOSTAT) of the Government of the Republic of Korea, is organizing an expert group meeting on the “Evaluation of vital statistics data from civil registration”. The meeting will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 3 to 4 November 2016. The purpose of this meeting is to:  (a) examine the state of vital statistics derived from civil registration, with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); (b) review the state of knowledge about analytical methods to evaluate the completeness of reported vital events obtained through a civil registration system and the quality of vital statistics derived from such a system; and (c) learn from local and international experiences in applying these methods to various settings. 

A well-functioning civil registration system with information on births and deaths is the preferred source of data for vital statistics on fertility and mortality.  Registration also helps to ensure that every person has a legal identity, facilitating access to the benefits and protections of the state.  In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the need for accurate and timely vital statistics was reaffirmed.  Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognizes a direct link between civil registration systems, legal identity and sustainable development.  Moreover, one of the indicators to monitor progress in the achievement of SDG 17 is the proportion of countries that have achieved 100 per cent completeness for birth registration and 80 per cent for death registration.  As of 2015, the World Health Organization estimated that 72 per cent of births were registered worldwide compared to only one third of deaths.  The Population Division is convening this expert group meeting as a contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda.

A report of the meeting will be issued afterwards.  More information is available at: www.unpopulation.org.