Mortality data - routinely collected for every death - is used frequently.  Cause of death statistics are particularly informative as they come directly from the cause of death reported by the medical doctor caring for the decedent.  It indicates the overall health of a community, drive health and social policy decisions.  The information is also used to determine funding for health and social interventions.  The health department uses cause of death data to identify needs, measure results and allocate resources, for example in infant and maternal care. Actuaries calculate pensions and life insurance premiums based in part on mortality data.