ABSTRACT
Demographic data and vital statistics are numbers that are used to characterize or describe a population. Demographic data include such information as the size of the population and its composition by gender, race, and age. Vital statistics describe the life of the population: they deal with births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and occurrences of disease. Researchers and public health professionals use both types of data to describe the health status of a population, to spot trends and make projections, and to plan for necessary services such as housing and medical care.
