Estimating Mortality and Disease Burden from Death Registration and Causes of Death Data in Malawi

Pierre Dindi, National Registration Bureau
Ramesh Sethi, National Registration Bureau
Richard Phiri, National Statistical Office
Amos Nyaka, Ministry of Health
Yankho Luwe, Ministry of Health
Rhodric Langwe, National Registration Bureau
Charles Katcherekhwanya, National Registration Bureau
Francis Mukhupa, National Registration Bureau
John Chilenga, National Registration Bureau
Atusaye Mwambyale, National Statistical Office
Mphatso Sambo, National Registration Bureau
Noel Chikhungu, National Registration Bureau
Chisomo Singano, National Statistical Office

Background Malawi relies on surveys and censuses to produce mortality estimates despite the presence of a functional Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system. We use death registration and medically-certified causes of death (MCCoD) data to map Malawi’s disease profile. Methods Data covering the period 2017–2022 were obtained from the National Registration Bureau. Microsoft Office Excel 2021, SPSS 25 and ANACOD 3 were used for data cleaning and analysis. Results A total of 76,616 deaths were registered with an increasing completeness from 4% in 2018 to 18% in 2022. In 2018, CDRReg was 0.25 deaths per 1,000 population compared to 6.3 per 1,000 population as reported by NSO. Various child mortality indicators show different patterns overtime. Furthermore, 48.7% of deaths in 2022 were coded for MCCoD, with malaria topping the list of causes. Results Death registration data estimate questionable values unless adjusted for completeness or validated with comparator sources.