Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium
Belgium: Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death was 7.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
7.4%
Change on year
up 12.7%
World rank
33rd
of 113 countries
All-time high
13.5%
in 1956
All-time low
2.4%
in 2005
Years of data
68
1954–2021
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium, 1954–2021
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium stood at 7.4%.
That represents a change of up 12.7% on the previous year and up 46.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium peaked at 13.5% in 1956 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2005.
Belgium ranks 33rd of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 68 years of available data.
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 13.2% | — |
| 1955 | 13.0% | -1.1% |
| 1956 | 13.5% | +3.5% |
| 1957 | 12.7% | -5.9% |
| 1958 | 12.5% | -1.3% |
| 1959 | 11.8% | -5.4% |
| 1960 | 11.9% | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 12.3% | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 9.0% | -26.8% |
| 1963 | 7.3% | -19.3% |
| 1964 | 7.8% | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 6.0% | -22.2% |
| 1966 | 7.5% | +24.6% |
| 1967 | 6.7% | -10.8% |
| 1968 | 6.4% | -4.5% |
| 1969 | 7.8% | +21.8% |
| 1970 | 7.3% | -7.2% |
| 1971 | 8.3% | +14.7% |
| 1972 | 8.4% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 9.1% | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 9.1% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 8.8% | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 8.9% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 8.9% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 7.9% | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 6.4% | -18.6% |
| 1980 | 6.0% | -6.8% |
| 1981 | 5.3% | -10.9% |
| 1982 | 5.3% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | +16.5% |
| 1984 | 6.6% | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 6.8% | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 6.7% | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 7.1% | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 6.5% | -8.0% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 6.8% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | -44.9% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -11.3% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +14.7% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | +17.4% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -32.7% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +11.5% |
| 2010 | 4.7% | +68.0% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | +8.4% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 5.7% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 5.8% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 6.2% | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | +13.3% |
| 2019 | 7.7% | +10.4% |
| 2020 | 6.6% | -15.0% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | +12.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 11.8% | 13.5% | 6 |
| 1960s | 8.3% | 6.0% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.3% | 6.4% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 5.3% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.4% | 2.8% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 4.7% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.0% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More health data for Belgium
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2923 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,160 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 59 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 2.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0291 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 2.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.0263 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium?
- Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Belgium was 7.4% in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1956.
- What is the lowest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death?
- Belgium ranks 33rd out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 68 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of total reported deaths in both sexes in those aged all ages that are from ill-defined diseases.