The crude death rate (C.D.R) is defined as the number of deaths in the population of a given region or community over a fixed time period (usually a year) per 1000 people in the population.
We can calculate the crude death rate by using the formula,
Crude Death Rate = Total number of deaths/Total population x 1000.
If we are measuring the crude death rate over a year, we usually take the number of deaths till the middle of that year for the purposes of our calculation.
Example: Suppose that there are 3600 deaths in a particular population in a given year. If the total population is 120000 then the C.D.R is calculated as,
Crude Death Rate = 3600/120000 x 1000 = 30.
Remarks:
- The C.D.R is one of the most widely used measures of mortality, being useful in numerous demographic and public health problems.
- A drawback of the crude death rate is that it ignores the age and sex distribution of the population. Generally speaking, older people have a much higher probability of death compared to younger people.
