A vital statistics summary rate based on the number of deaths occurring in a population during a given period of time, usually a calendar year, i.e., the number of deaths occurring among the population of a given geographical area during a given year per 1,000 mid-year total population of the given geographical area during the same year.

Number of deaths over a given period divided by the person-years lived by the population over that period. It is expressed as number of deaths per 1,000 population.