[Completeness of mortality statistics in Navarra, Spain].

BACKGROUND

Women in the region of Navarra, Spain, have one of the highest life expectancies at birth in Europe. The aim of this study is to assess the completeness of the official mortality statistics of Navarra in 2009 and the impact of the under-registration of deaths on life expectancy estimates.

METHODS

Comparison of the number of deaths in Navarra using the official statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) and the data derived from a multiple-source case-finding: the electronic health record, Instituto Navarro de Medicina Legal and INE including data that they received late.

RESULTS

5,249 deaths were identified, of which 103 were not included in the official mortality statistics. Taking into account only deaths that occurred in Spain, which are the only ones considered for the official statistics, the completeness was 98.4%. Estimated life expectancy at birth in 2009 descended from 86.6 years to 86.4 in women and from 80.0 to 79.6 years in men, after correcting for undercount.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study ruled out the existence of significant under-registration of the official mortality statistics, confirming the exceptional longevity of women in Navarra, who are in the top position in Europe with a life expectancy at birth of 86.4 years.