ImpactHDSS Ethiopia will enhance government efforts to track births, deaths, causes of death and health-related data for better policy and planning
March 6, 2025 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)—Accurate health data is essential for effective policy and planning, yet many deaths go uncounted or lack a reliable cause of death. This gap leaves governments without the critical information needed to drive life-saving interventions. Today, Ethiopia took a major step toward closing this data gap with the launch of ImpactHDSS Ethiopia, a new initiative designed to improve the collection and use of data on births, deaths and causes of death. By building on existing government-led efforts, ImpactHDSS Ethiopia will help ensure that every life is counted and that health policies are informed by the most reliable data available.
The Ministry of Health and Ethiopian Public Health Institute hosted the launch for this three-year initiative, bringing together key stakeholders from across sectors. Attendees included representatives from the Immigration and Citizenship Service, Ethiopian Statistical Service and participating universities, reflecting the broad collaboration needed to strengthen health data systems.
ImpactHDSS Ethiopia is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health Strategic Affairs Executive Office, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute’s National Data Management Center, Vital Strategies and local universities, with funding from the Gates Foundation. This initiative will revitalize Ethiopia’s Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) network, enhancing birth and death registration, improving the collection and analysis of health data, and ultimately informing evidence-based public health policies.
“By strengthening our Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems, we are not only improving data collection – we are equipping our health system with the evidence needed to respond swiftly and effectively to the needs of our people,” said Mr. Mesoud Mohammed Ahmed, Strategic Affairs Executive Office Team Lead – Statistics and Information, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia. “This initiative will help us make smarter investments, track health trends with greater accuracy, and ultimately save lives.”
Ethiopia’s 13 Health and Demographic Surveillance sites, each affiliated with a local university, are located across the country and cover over 1.2 million people from a range of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. These sites play a critical role in tracking health and demographic data across the country by providing in-depth insights into the health conditions of specific populations. This project will link the data from the sites to the national civil registration system, providing health authorities with high-quality data on fertility, mortality and cause of death to inform health research and policy decisions.
“ImpactHDSS represents a pivotal step toward strengthening Ethiopia’s ability to generate and use our own population health data,” said Dr. Asnake Worku, Coordinator of NDMC and Senior Researcher at National Data Management Center. “With the support from the Ministry, our local Health and Demographic Surveillance sites, Vital Strategies, and the Gates Foundation, this initiative will help close critical gaps in our data systems—ensuring that every birth, death, and cause of death is accurately recorded. By aligning data collection with national health priorities, we can drive more effective policies and interventions that truly reflect the needs of our communities.”
“Public health systems that are comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable, depend on strong civil registration and vital statistics,” said Mary-Ann Etiebet, President and CEO at Vital Strategies. “We applaud the Government of Ethiopia for its bold commitment to strengthening health data— setting a powerful example for other countries that transformative improvements are possible. By investing in better data, Ethiopia is investing in better public health. We are proud to support this effort, ensuring that data is not just collected, but actively used to drive policies and interventions that save lives.”
“This initiative is a powerful example of collaboration between the government, local universities and international partners to build a stronger, more effective health data infrastructure,” said Dr. Getachew Tollera, Deputy Director General at the Ethiopian Institute of Public Health. “Ethiopia’s commitment to creating a complete national civil registration system and strengthening public health policies will set an example for other countries in the region to follow.”
Currently, over 100 countries do not have fully functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems. In Ethiopia, there are no continuous, nationally representative and timely sources of critical population and vital events data such as the measurement of births, deaths and causes of death. According to the government, birth registration in Ethiopia stands at 37% completeness, and death registration at 16% — this leaves over two and a half million unregistered births and 652,000 unregistered deaths each year (source: Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Services).”
About Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by an equitable and effective public health system. We work with governments, communities and organizations around the world to reimagine public health so that health is supported in all the places we live, work and play. The result is millions of people living longer, healthier lives.
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