Agadir – The World Health Organization (WHO) presents Morocco as one of the countries making notable progress in modernizing mortality data systems, according to its World Health Statistics 2026 report, which highlights persistent global gaps in health data collection.
The report underscores the critical role of timely and reliable mortality data in tracking health trends, shaping public policy, and anticipating crises.
Yet, significant shortcomings remain worldwide. Only 18% of countries submit mortality data within one year, while 32% have never reported data on causes of death.
Out of an estimated 61 million deaths globally in 2023, just 21 million were reported to the WHO with a specified cause, and only 12 million were considered usable under international standards.
Morocco stands out for what the WHO describes as “tangible progress” in reforming its vital statistics system.
The organization notes that the country “has strengthened mortality data systems through the transition from a centralized system to a decentralized digital cause-of-death reporting platform aligned with WHO standards.”
Previously, Morocco’s system covered only about 30% of the population and included a high number of ill-defined causes of death. The shift to a digital, decentralized platform has significantly expanded coverage and improved data accuracy.
The new digital system, developed by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior, and supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, enables online entry of death certificates, automated coding of causes of death, and real-time data quality checks.
According to the WHO report, “population coverage and the number of processed death certificates have increased substantially, while ill-defined causes have declined” since the system’s implementation. The integration of WHO-recommended tools has further strengthened both the quality of Morocco’s health data and its application in policymaking.
Despite these advances, the WHO warned that only one-third of countries currently meet its data quality standards, while about half still have weak, limited, or no mortality data systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
