Standardised death rate due to chronic diseases by sex

The indicator measures the standardised death rate of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases included in the indicator are malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, ischaemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases and chronic liver diseases (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes C00 to C97, E10 to E14, I20 to I25, I60 to I69 and J40 to J47). Death due to chronic diseases is considered premature if it occurs before the age of 65. The rate is calculated by dividing the number of people under 65 dying due to a chronic disease by the total population under 65. Data on causes of death (COD) refer to the underlying cause which - according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) - is "the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury". COD data are derived from death certificates. The medical certification of death is an obligation in all Member States. The data are presented as standardised death rates, meaning they are adjusted to a standard age distribution in order to measure death rates independently of different age structures of populations. This approach improves comparability over time and between countries. The standardised death rates used here are calculated on the basis of the standard European population referring to the residents of the countries.