New 2015 figures for deaths registered in England and Wales were released on 14 November 2016. The statistics include registered deaths by age, sex, selected underlying causes of death and the leading causes of death for both males and females.

Cause of death can be analysed by either the full International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10) or by a separate leading causes classification. The leading causes classification was modified at the time of this release and the modifications applied to previous years figures.

The data is available from the Mortality statistics - underlying cause, sex and age dataset in the query tool.

Quality and Methodology

  1. The Mortality Statistics Quality and Methodology Information document contains important information on:
    • the strengths and limitations of the data
    • the quality of the output: including the accuracy of the data and how it compares with related data
    • uses and users
    • how the output was created
  2. The User Guide to Mortality Statistics provides further information on data quality, legislation and procedures relating to mortality and includes a glossary of terms. Information on how age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) are calculated is included.