Birth and deaths

The statistics of births and deaths supply the basic demographic information on fertility, for assessing mortality conditions, life expectancy and the ageing of the population. Thus they provide fundamental data on living conditions. They serve as information for the public and as a basis for decisions in the fields of family and social policy. Additionally, they show the trends of the past until the latest reference year.
The two statistics are based on complete counts with obligatory response. The survey material consists of documents filled in by the registrar in whose district the birth or death has taken place and who records the vital event.
The surveys are conducted de-centrally by the statistical offices of the Länder. They receive mostly electronic documents (“enumeration cards”) from the registrars’ offices. The Federal Statistical Office compiles the federal results from the results of the Länder.
The results of the two statistics are of a high quality. The survey procedure used makes it possible to check the deliveries of the registrars’ offices for completeness. When a birth or death is recorded, the information is checked by the registrar. The statistical data supplied are subjected to plausibility checks at the statistical offices of the Länder, possible discrepancies are resolved by queries. Thus a high degree of reliability is ensured.