The age specific mortality rate is the number of deaths per year, adjusted for the population age distribution. In 2014, the UK rate was 15.6 for men and 9.3 for women.

The total mortality comprises individual deaths from different causes: for example, accidents, cancer, coronary artery disease, strokes and suicides. Mortality is often calculated for specific groups in epidemiological (see EPIDEMIOLOGY) studies of particular diseases. Infant mortality measures the deaths of babies born alive who die during the first year of life: the countries with the lowest infant mortality (2/1,000)include several north European nations and Singapore. The UK figure is just under 4/1,000. The country with the highest rate in 2015 was Angola – 96.