Data Systems and Public Health Intelligence

Consider births and deaths—public health’s most foundational data sources. Around the world, millions of lives go uncounted. Approximately 1 in 4 young children have not been registered at birth, leaving them disconnected from services and social benefits. In sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 2 in 10 deaths have information on cause of death, leaving critical health needs and inequities invisible.

Disease surveillance is another example of foundational public health data systems that should underpin prevention and care. Without it, conditions like cancer are often detected late, when survival is lowest and treatment is most expensive.

It doesn’t have to be this way. With the right data systems, governments can see where threats are emerging, focus resources where they’re needed most and build the evidence base to drive lasting policy change.

We partner with governments to build and modernize the foundational data systems—from civil registration and vital statistics to cancer registries to lead poisoning surveillance—that make health threats visible and informed responses possible.cost digital polling—reaching nationally representative results in Brazil within 14 days, at roughly 70% less cost. The approach has proven capable of reaching remote and Indigenous populations in the Amazon, showing that fast, affordable data collection doesn’t have to come at the expense of equity.

In Rwanda and Colombia, linking birth registration to national digital ID systems is driving inclusion and access to a lifetime of rights and services. In Bangladesh, Vital-supported civil registration and vital statistics data revealed rising deaths from cervical cancer—prompting the government to launch a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign. In Cameroon, Vital-supported cancer registry data revealed a rising burden of breast cancer, with most cases diagnosed late, leading to the country’s first national breast cancer screening guidelines.

Through More Data Better Health, we help governments complement traditional household surveys with scalable, low-cost digital polling—reaching nationally representative results in Brazil within 14 days, at roughly 70% less cost. The approach has proven capable of reaching remote and Indigenous populations in the Amazon, showing that fast, affordable data collection doesn’t have to come at the expense of equity.