GBD data and tools guide

We are pleased to present this guide to the research findings from the latest GBD study and the suite of web-based tools used to disseminate these results. These tools allow students, researchers, policymakers, and other members of the public to access, view, and interact with GBD data outputs. They are all freely available for non-commercial use.

What’s included in this guide?

GBD 2021 data and tools overview

Your guide to GBD data and tools starts here. This document contains:

• Brief descriptions of each GBD query tool, interactive data visual, our data catalog, and the GBD source code
• A glossary of key terms used in GBD
• An overview of the indicators and data outputs users can view and download from each tool and the data catalog
• A detailed description of each of the appendices

Download the overview (.pdf)

Appendix 1: Full list of locations, diseases, injuries, and risk factors

A list of the complete hierarchies for three categories: locations, causes (including both diseases and injuries), and risk factors. The values are in the order they appear in online tools, such as the GBD Results Tool and GBD Compare.

Download GBD hierarchies (.xlsx)

Appendix 2: Measures for cause-risk/impairment/injury pairs

A set of sheets displaying which measures (deaths, DALYs, incidence, etc.) are provided for each GBD cause, risk, impairment, and injury.

Download available measures (.xlsx)

Appendix 3: Metrics definitions

Definitions of all metrics (rate, percent, number, etc.), for each measure (deaths, DALYs, etc.), contained in the GBD Results Tool and GBD Compare.

Download metrics definitions (.xlsx)

Appendix 4: Age groups

The full set of age groups used, cumulatively, in results available from the GBD Results Tool, and the context each age group appears in.

Download age groups (.xlsx)