Development and Implementation of Sample Registration System for Mortality Surveillance in Tanzania

The Tanzania Sample Registration System (SRS) project is a four-year (2026–2030) national initiative being implemented by Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) in partnership with the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA), and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The project aims to strengthen the availability of reliable information on births, deaths and causes of death to support better health planning and decision-making in Tanzania.

The project responds to important gaps in the country’s mortality data. The completeness of death registration declined from 6.6% in 2021 to 4.4% in 2023, while only 15% of deaths had a medically certified cause of death in 2023. Mortality information is also collected through different systems, making it difficult to generate comprehensive and timely information on deaths and their causes across the population.

The SRS will provide a continuous source of mortality information to help generate reliable estimates of deaths and causes of death at national and zonal levels. This evidence will support health planning, policy and priority setting, resource allocation, and efforts to better understand the country’s changing health needs.

The system will cover eight statistical zones across mainland Tanzania, generating information that can help identify patterns and trends in mortality across the country. The project will also contribute to improving the completeness and timeliness of birth and death registration and strengthening Tanzania’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.

Why the SRS Project is important

Reliable information on who is dying, where deaths are occurring, and what is causing them is essential for understanding Tanzania’s health challenges. Better mortality data can help identify populations and health problems that require attention, guide the design and targeting of health interventions, and enable the country to track changes and progress over time.

The SRS will therefore strengthen Tanzania’s health information system by providing timely and reliable evidence to support better decisions, better-targeted health interventions and stronger health planning.