The National Mortality Database (NMD) holds records for deaths in Australia from 1964 to 2022 and is considered an Essential Statistical Asset for Australia. The database comprises information about causes of death and other characteristics of the person, such as sex, age at death, area of usual residence and Indigenous status. The cause of death data are sourced from the Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory, the National Coronial Information System and compiled and coded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
| Data item | Description |
|---|---|
| Age at death | Age at which the person died |
| Area of usual residence | Based on the Statistical Local Area (or Statistical Area Level 2 for recent years) of usual residence in the 6 months prior to death, for indicating remoteness and socioeconomic status of area of residence |
| Country of birth | Country in which the person was born |
| Date of birth | Date of birth |
| Date of death | Date of death |
| Indigenous status | Indicates whether the person identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander |
| Remoteness | Indicates the level of remoteness of the usual residence according to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (or Australian Statistical Geography Standard for recent years) |
| Sex | Sex of the person |
| State | State of registration of the death |
| Underlying cause of death | Underlying cause of death coded to the relevant version of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) |
| Multiple causes of death | Multiple causes of death (all conditions listed on the death certificate) coded to the relevant version of ICD |
| Year | Year of registration of the death |
| Years resident in Australia | Length of time (in years) resident in Australia |