Ten-Year Mortality Trends and Natural Causes of Death in the Iraqi Kurdistan

Background: Mortality and causes of death are among the most important statistics used in assessing the effectiveness of a country’s health system. Several countries do not have information systems for collecting these data, and they must therefore be estimated from surveys. Objective: This study analyzes mortality data retrieved from official government databases in Iraqi Kurdistan to describe ten-year trends in natural causes of death. Methods: Data for natural causes of death, reported from 2009 to 2018, were extracted from the databases of the Registration Bureau of Births and Deaths and of the Forensic Medicine of the Province of Sulaymaniyah. A sample of 16,433 causes of death was analyzed. Results: Causes of death were coded according to the ICD-10 classification. Overall, cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of mortality (52.6%), followed by neoplasms (17.7%), infectious and parasitic diseases (8.9%), and genitourinary diseases (6.3%). Neonatal conditions, congenital anomalies, and neurological conditions each accounted for less than 1% each. Numbers of natural deaths by cause and cause-specific mortality rates have been estimated for the entire Region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Comparisons with other sources suggest that there is a substantial amount of underreporting, especially in relation to deaths of infants and under-five children. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that the region is facing a burden of non-communicable diseases, coupled with high proportions of infectious diseases. However, the lack of effective vital statistics with combined under-reported data collection highlights the need for implementation of health monitoring systems. Advancements in generating high-quality data are essential in improving health and reducing preventable deaths. The establishment of a novel Health Information System is discussed.