Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death was 17.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka, 1955–2019
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka stood at 17.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka peaked at 34.1% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, in 2009.
That places Sri Lanka 9th out of 113 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 19.8% | — |
| 1956 | 21.5% | +8.1% |
| 1957 | 20.8% | -2.8% |
| 1958 | 20.9% | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 22.0% | +5.5% |
| 1960 | 21.0% | -4.5% |
| 1961 | 22.4% | +6.6% |
| 1962 | 24.4% | +9.0% |
| 1963 | 23.2% | -5.0% |
| 1964 | 22.9% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 22.6% | -1.3% |
| 1966 | 23.7% | +4.8% |
| 1967 | 24.6% | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 24.4% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 30.0% | +22.8% |
| 1980 | 28.5% | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 29.6% | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 31.5% | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 31.9% | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 34.1% | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 33.2% | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 32.1% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 33.2% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 32.3% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 32.1% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | -18.5% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 25.4% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 23.1% | -8.8% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 18.7% | -14.1% |
| 2006 | 16.5% | -12.0% |
| 2007 | 17.3% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | -13.6% |
| 2010 | 15.0% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 16.0% | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 16.6% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 17.6% | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 19.0% | +15.9% |
| 2019 | 17.7% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.0% | 19.8% | 22.0% | 5 |
| 1960s | 23.3% | 21.0% | 24.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 30.0% | 30.0% | 30.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 31.6% | 28.5% | 34.1% | 7 |
| 1990s | 32.8% | 32.1% | 33.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 21.1% | 15.0% | 26.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 15.0% | 19.0% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 6 Mayotte 19.4% compare
- 7 North Macedonia 19.0% compare
- 8 El Salvador 18.1% compare
- 10 South Africa 16.5% compare
- 11 Guatemala 15.7% compare
- 12 Turkmenistan 15.2% compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0276 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate -0.5626 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0292 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka?
- Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Sri Lanka was 17.7% in 2019, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 34.1% in 1984.
- What is the lowest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% in 2009.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death?
- Sri Lanka ranks 9th out of 113 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
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About this data
Share of total reported deaths in both sexes in those aged all ages that are from ill-defined diseases.