ASMR stands for Age-Standardized Mortality Rate, a statistical measure that adjusts mortality rates to a standard age distribution, allowing fair comparisons between populations with different age structures.

• To remove the effect of differing age distributions between populations.
• To enable comparisons of mortality across:
  • Countries or regions
  • Time periods
  • Demographic groups
• Widely used in Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies and public health surveillance.

• Weighted sum of age-specific mortality rates, using a standard population (e.g., WHO or GBD reference population).
• Expressed as: deaths per 100,000 population (age-standardized)

• A higher ASMR indicates a greater risk of death independent of population age structure.
• A decline in ASMR over time reflects improved survival or effective prevention, not just demographic change.

• If Country A has an older population than Country B, its crude mortality rate may be higher.
• ASMR adjusts for age, so we can compare the underlying risk of dying across countries or over time.

• Global comparisons of disease-specific mortality (e.g., ICH, cardiovascular disease, cancer)
• Monitoring trends in population health
• Evaluating impact of interventions

• Crude mortality rate
• Age-standardized rate (ASR)
• Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY)
• Global burden modeling