NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Data source

Data on deaths are based on the systematic collection of Information entered into the state registries of deaths.

Observation units

The data are collected currently on each death.

Coverage and comparability

According to international recommendations (UN, Eurostat) data on deaths have been collected and processed in line with the definition of the usual residence.

Definitions and explanations

Definitions applied in vital statistics are based on recommendations of the UN, Eurostat, WHO and positive regulations of the Republic of Croatia.

A deceased person (death) is every live-born person in whom there is a permanent disappearance of all evidence of life.

Age is expressed according to completed years of age as a statistical characteristic of population. Age is most often expressed in intervals of five years. Each group includes persons who turned the years set as the limits of one interval. For example, the 15 - 19 age group includes all persons who reached 15 and more but have not turned 20 yet.

It is considered that a person died in a medical institution if he/she died in a medical institution for hospitalisation or in a medical institution without the possibility of hospitalisation. Medical institutions for hospitalisation are as follows: general and specialised hospitals, clinics, clinical hospitals, clinical hospital centres, sanatoriums, medical stations, maternities outside a hospital, hospitals in military bases and prisons. Persons who died in an emergency ambulance are considered to have died in a medical institution. According to the Article 229 of the Health Care Act (NN, No. 100/18), time and cause of death should be determined for every deceased person. Time and cause of death is determined by a medical doctor or other competent medical worker.

Marital status is defined as the legal marital status of each person in concordance with the Family Act (NN, No. 103/15.).

Never married persons are children and all other persons who never got married in concordance with valid regulations.

Married persons are those who got married by a competent body in concordance with valid regulations.

Widower and widow are persons whose marriage ceased to exist by the death of one of the spouses, that is, when a spouse is declared dead.

Divorced persons are those whose marriage was terminated by a valid court decision.

Territorial constitution

The data are presented by the territorial constitution according to the Act on the Territories of Counties, Cities and Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia (NN, No. 86/06) with the situation as on the end of the reference year.

Abbreviations

Eurostat       Statistical Office of the European Communities

NN               Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia

UN               United Nations

WHO           World Health Organization

Symbols

-      no occurrence