The World Health Organization has released its annual World Health Statistics, revealing that almost half of all deaths globally are now recorded with a cause.

Of the estimated 56 million deaths globally in 2015, 27 million were registered with a cause of death. In 2005, only about a third of deaths had a recorded cause.

The report reveals that around 1.25 million people died from road traffic injuries in 2013, with up to 50 million people sustaining non-fatal injuries as a result of road traffic collisions or crashes. It states that road traffic injuries are the main cause of death among people aged 15–29 years and disproportionately affect vulnerable road users, namely pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Between 2000 and 2013 the number of road traffic deaths globally increased by approximately 13%.

The World Health Statistics, one of WHO’s annual flagship publications, compiles data from the organization’s 194 Member States on 21 health-related SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) targets, providing a snapshot of both gains and threats to the health of the world’s people. While the quality of health data has improved significantly in recent years, many countries still do not routinely collect high-quality data to monitor health-related SDG indicators.

The SDG Target 3 is to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’. Part of this target is to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.

Read the full report, World Health Statistics (external link: PDF)