This document defines and explains several common health statistics and their meanings. It discusses population per doctor ratio, population per hospital bed, death rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and how to analyze and interpret health statistics. These statistics are social indicators that can be used to measure a population's health and level of development, with higher ratios or rates generally indicating poorer health and lower development.

1. Common health statistics
and their meanings
 Most health statistics consist of social indicators of
development used to measure health.
 The most common health indicators are described in
this section so that you can learn how to interpret
them.

2. Population per doctor
(Doctor to patient ratio)
 This gives the number of people per doctor and it is calculated by
dividing the total population in a given place by the number
of doctors available.
 If the number of people per doctor is high, it means that health
care is poor and that the general health of the people is poor.
 This will indicate that the level of development is low.
 In contrast, if the number of people per doctor is low, it means
that health care is good and that the health of the people is
generally good.
 This will indicate that the level of development is high.

3. Population per hospital
bed
 This is an average figure showing the number of
people per hospital bed.
 It is calculated by dividing the total population by the
number of hospital beds available.
 If the number is high, it means poor health care and
poor health which indicates a low level of
development.
 However, when the number of people per hospital bed
is low, it means good health care and good health
which indicates a high level of development.

4. Death Rate (DR)
 This is the number of people dying per 1000 people
per year.
 A high death rate means poor health care and less
development.
 A low death rate means good health which
indicates a high level of development.

5. Infant Mortality Rate
(IMR)
 This is the number of babies dying before reaching the
age of one per 1000 live births per year.
 High IMR means poor health and less development
whilst low IMR means good health and a high level of
development.

6. Life expectancy
 This is the average number of years a person hopes
to reach when born in a particular country.
 When life expectancy is high, it means that the health
of the people is good and that the level of
development is high.
 However, a low life expectancy means poor health
and a low level of development.

7. Analysis and interpretation
of health statistics
 Health statistics are presented in statistical diagrams
such as tables, pie charts, line graphs, bar charts and
histograms.
 You must describe what patterns you see in the
statistical figure to analyse them.

8. analysis and
interpretation of health
statistics cont.
 After describing what you see, you must then give reasons
why the statistics are like that.
 When you give reasons for statistics, you are
actually interpreting these statistics.
 Always remember that interpretation tries to answer the
question why?
 For example, if you are given a table of countries showing
their death rates, you will notice that Less Developed
Countries (LDCs) have high death rates whilst developed
countries have low death rates

9. analysis and
interpretation of health
statistics cont.
 When you give that description, you are analysing the
statistics.
 You are describing what the statistics are saying.
 When you start giving reasons why LDCs have high
death rates whilst developed countries have low death
rates, you are interpreting the statistics because you
are now answering the question why?