Vital statistics are essential for evidence-informed policymaking, efficient resource allocation and effective governance. As the backbone of national development efforts, they provide continuous and up-to-date information on key life events, such as births, deaths and marriages, enabling Governments to design responsive policies and deliver services that meet the needs of their entire population. During crises such as natural disasters or pandemics, timely and inclusive vital statistics are indispensable for assessing impacts and targeting relief efforts to vulnerable populations.
Data from civil registration systems are the gold standard for producing vital statistics due to their continuous, detailed, and cost-effective nature. Other types of identity management systems may not provide the same type or granularity of data or be complete for the full population. These data can contribute to the monitoring of 67 SDG indicators (figure VIII), including those related to infant, child and maternal mortality, adolescent birth rates and deaths due to communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Significant progress has been made in Asia and the Pacific since the start of the CRVS Decade in 2015. By 2024, just under 85 per cent of members and associate members reported producing statistics on births and deaths using civil registration data—up from 56 per cent in 2015. Digitalization of CRVS systems played a major role in this progress. Countries like Bangladesh, Viet Nam, and Indonesia have made notable strides with multi-agency collaborations, signing MoUs, and launching their first comprehensive national vital statistics reports.
Dissemination of vital statistics has also advanced considerably. The number of countries and territories in South-East Asia publishing statistics on births and deaths electronically quadrupled since 2015, and those disseminating cause-of-death data more than doubled. Across the region, more countries and territories now publish vital statistics reports regularly, fostering transparency and accountability while promoting wider use of the data by governments, civil society, and the public.
However, challenges remain. In many countries and territories, the production process is not yet institutionalized, leading to ad hoc reporting. Strengthening CRVS systems requires enhanced collaboration between health, civil registration, and national statistics authorities. Tools like verbal autopsies and medicolegal death investigations are increasingly used to improve cause-of-death data quality.
Capacity-building remains key. Thirty-four reporting members and associate members have trained government staff in producing, analysing, and disseminating vital statistics, often with support from development partners. Tools like ANACoD are used to assess data quality, but skill gaps, especially in demography, persist in low- and middle-income settings. Ultimately, robust legal frameworks, real-time data sharing, and institutional commitment are essential for embedding vital statistics into policy processes and ensuring inclusive development outcomes.