Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland
Switzerland: Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death was 6.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland, 1951–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland stood at 6.5%. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 66.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland peaked at 6.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1977.
That places Switzerland 41st out of 113 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 2.6% | — |
| 1952 | 2.0% | -24.2% |
| 1953 | 1.8% | -8.7% |
| 1954 | 1.7% | -2.8% |
| 1955 | 1.6% | -6.8% |
| 1956 | 1.7% | +3.6% |
| 1957 | 1.5% | -12.0% |
| 1958 | 1.3% | -12.2% |
| 1959 | 1.4% | +8.2% |
| 1960 | 1.5% | +6.7% |
| 1961 | 1.6% | +6.6% |
| 1962 | 1.7% | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | -9.2% |
| 1964 | 1.6% | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 1.6% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 1.6% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -13.4% |
| 1968 | 1.5% | +8.9% |
| 1969 | 2.5% | +66.5% |
| 1970 | 1.7% | -32.1% |
| 1971 | 1.2% | -25.5% |
| 1972 | 1.3% | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | -5.4% |
| 1976 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -22.6% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +28.6% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +7.4% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | -15.3% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +21.0% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | -7.4% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +8.4% |
| 1987 | 1.9% | +34.2% |
| 1988 | 1.8% | -6.3% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +21.9% |
| 1990 | 2.0% | -8.0% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | +7.1% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +14.6% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +25.5% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +20.9% |
| 2003 | 4.4% | +8.5% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | -11.2% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | -9.0% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | -19.3% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | +11.8% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | +8.3% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 4.2% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | +11.5% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | +37.5% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | -13.1% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 6.5% | +9.9% |
| 2023 | 6.5% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 1960s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 2.9% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.4% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 5.6% | 6.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
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Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland?
- Share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death in Switzerland was 6.5% in 2023, 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1977.
- How does Switzerland rank for share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death?
- Switzerland ranks 41st out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of deaths registered with an ill-defined cause of death rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.