Health, lifestyle, health care use and supply, causes of death; from 1900
Explanation of symbols
Dataset is not available.
This table presents a wide variety of historical data in the field of health, lifestyle and health care. Figures on births and mortality, causes of death and the occurrence of certain infectious diseases are available from 1900, other series from later dates.
In addition to self-perceived health, the table contains figures on infectious diseases, hospitalisations per diagnosis, life expectancy, lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity, and causes of death. The table also gives information on several aspects of health care, such as the number of practising professionals, the number of available hospital beds, nursing day averages and the expenditures on care.
Many subjects are also covered in more detail by data in other tables, although sometimes with a shorter history. Data on notifiable infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS are not included in other tables.
Data available from: 1900
Status of the figures:
2023:
The available figures are definite.
2022:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS;
- expenditure on care.
2021:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS;
- hospital admissions according to diagnosis;
- quantitative hospital data;
- health professions.
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditure on healthcare.
2020:
Most available figures are definite.
Figures are provisional for:
- notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS.
Figures are revised provisional for:
- expenditure on healthcare.
2019 and earlier:
Most available figures are definite.
Due to 'dynamic' registrations, figures for notifiable infectious diseases, HIV, AIDS remain provisional.
Changes as of 22 December 2023:
- For each series the most recent available figures have been added.
When will new figures be published?
December 2024.
Description topics
- Lifestyle
- Some factors that may influence health: smoking, drinking alcohol, being
overweight and use of the contraceptive pill.- Use of contraceptive pill
- Percentage of women aged 16 to 50 years who use an oral contraceptive.
In 2017-2019: percentage of sexually active women aged 16 to 50 years who use an oral contraceptive.
Percentages of 2017-2019 therefore can not be compared to earlier years. Percentages from 2020 onwards are comparable to figures of 2016 and before.
Sexually active women are women who have had sex in the 12 monthes preceeding the interview.
- Use of health care services
- Contacts with health professionals and hospital admissions.
- Hospital admissions by some diagnoses
- Overnight admissions to general and university hospitals and hospitals specialising in one type of disease. Admissions are included if the date of discharge is within the year under review. Starting 2013, one-day admissions are counted only in case of death of the patient or transport to an other hospital.
Diagnoses are recorded according to the 'International Classification of Diseases'. Up to 2013 version 9 was used (ICD-9-CM), From 2013 onwards version 10 (ICD-10) is used.
Diagnoses are classified according to the International Shortlist for Hospital Morbidity Tabulation (ISHMT). Categories are definied slightly different using ICD-9 (up to 2013) or ICD-10 (from 2013).
Figures on diagnoses refer to the principal diagnosis registered at each admission, as indicated at discharge form the hospital.
The figures are expressed per 10 000 of the population in the year under review.- Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium
- ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 630-676
ICD-10: O00-O99.- Total pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium
- Total pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium.
ICD-9: 630-676
ICD-10: O00-O99.
- Compl. of pregnancy, antenatal period
- Complications of pregnancy predominantly in the antenatal period.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 640-646, 651-659
ICD-10: O10-O48.
- Compl. of pregnancy, labour and delivery
- Complications of pregnancy predominantly during labour and delivery.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 660-668, 669.0-669.4, 669.8-669.9
ICD-10: O60-O75.
- Certain conditions in perinatal period
- Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 760-779
ICD-10: P00-P96.- Short gestation and low birth weight
- Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight.
ICD-code:
ICD-9: 765
ICD-10: P07.
- Birth and life expectancy
- Perinatal mortality, average age of mother at birth of first child,
number of multiple births and (healthy) life expectancy at birth.- Perinatal mortality
- Total number of stillbirths after a pregnancy of at least 28 weeks, plus
babies who die in the seven days following birth.
- Infant mortality
- Number of live born children who die before their first birthday.
- Average age of the mother at 1st birth
- Arithmetic average of the ages of mothers of all live born first
children. The mother's age is her age on 31 December of the year the
child is born.
- Multiple births
- Deliveries of two or more babies from the same pregnancy.
- Life expectancy at birth
- Number of years a baby is expected to live when it is born, according to
the life expectancy tables. Life expectancy tables show how many babies
per 100,000 will reach the age of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 years etc. on the basis
of the mortality rate for a given period or birth cohort.- Men
- Women
- Healthy life expectancy at birth
- Number of years a baby is expected to live in good health when it is
born. Good health is defined as absence of chronic disease, absence of
physical limitations, or perceived good health.- Life expect. in experienced good health
- The calculation of healthy life expectancy is based on the answer to the
question 'How is your general state of health?' People who reply 'good'
or 'excellent' are defined as healthy. Questions on self-reported health
are included in the Integrated System of Social Surveys (POLS).- Men
- Women
- Life expect. without physical limit.
- Life expectancy without major physical problems is calculated on the
basis of data on long- term limitations in mobility, sight and hearing.
People who reply 'yes, without difficulty' or 'yes, with a little
difficulty' are defined as having no physical limitations.
- Can you follow a conversation in a group of 3 or more people (with or
without a hearing aid)?
- Can you have a conversation with one other person (with or without a
hearing aid)?
- Is your sight good enough to read the small print in the newspaper
(with or without glasses or contact lenses)?
- Are you able to recognise somebody's face at a distance of 4 metres
(with or without glasses or contact lenses)?
- Can you carry an object weighing 5 kilos, for example a shopping bag,
over a distance of 10 metres?
- Can you bend down from an upright position to pick something up from
the floor?
- Can you walk a distance of 400 metres without stopping (with or without
a walking stick)?
These questions are included in the Integrated System of Social Surveys
(POLS) and are asked only of persons aged 12 years or older. In the
calculation of life expectancy without physical limitations it is assumed
that these disorders do not occur in persons under the age of 12.- Men
- Women
- Life expectancy without chronic dis.
- A number of diseases leading to death or seriously affecting quality of
life were selected to determine life expectancy without chronic disease.
People who did not have or had not had any of the following diseases in
the twelve months preceding the survey are defined as not suffering from
chronic disease.
- serious heart condition and/or myocardial infarction (12 years or older)
- asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema or chronic non-specific
pulmonary disease
- cancer
- stroke (12 years or older)
- diabetes
- serious or chronic gastrointestinal disorders
- chronic arthritis (Bechterew's disease, chronic rheumatism, rheumatoid
arthritis)
- serious or chronic backache (including slipped disk)
- degenerative arthritis in hips or knees (12 years or older)
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- migraine or recurring serious headaches
Questions on chronic diseases are included in the Integrated System of
Social Surveys (POLS). Serious heart condition and/or myocardial
infarction, stroke and degenerative arthritis in hips or knees) are
assumed not to occur in children under 12 years of age.- Men
- Women
- Causes of death
- Deaths by main primary cause of death per 100 000 of the average
population. The average population is half the population at the start of a given period, plus half of the population at the end of that period.
The basis for the classification and coding used for mortality by cause of death is the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD; World Health Organisation (WHO)). The ICD-8 was in use from 1969 to 1978, the ICD-9 from 1979 to 1996 and the ICD-10 since 1996.- Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
- Deaths from complications during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
per 100 000 of the average population.
ICD-codes:
ICD-9: 630-676.
ICD-10: O00-O99.