Differentials, Barriers, and Enablers of Death Registration in Nepal: Evidence from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (Crvs) Survey

Surender Pandey, The University of Melbourne
Hafizur Rahman Chowdhury, CDC Foundation, United States
Tim Adair, University of Melbourne

Death registration in Nepal is incomplete, which limits its utility as a routine source of mortality data to inform policy. This study used data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Survey 2015/16 in Nepal to assess the likelihood of death registration. The main reasons for registration and non-registration of deaths and ways to improve the CRVS system were also analysed. Death registration (70%) was more likely where the decedent was male (77%) versus female (60%), older aged (45 years and above 70%) versus young aged (0–14 years 26%), or died of injuries (more than 70%) compared with maternal causes (12%). There were also large differences in death registration by province and for certain ethnic groups. Legal and administrative obligations were the main reasons for death registration. ‘Not necessary to register deaths’ was the major reason behind non-registration. Both households and service providers stated that registration would be made more convenient by arranging mobile teams, allowing registration at the place of occurrence, and promoting online registration. The barriers and enablers identified in this study are valuable evidence to inform CRVS strengthening efforts in Nepal and similar other countries.

Keywords: Mortality and Longevity, Data and Methods, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Population Policies

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