What the numbers mean

A guide to common measures of drinking water, hunger, displacement, nutrition, infectious disease, mortality, and other severe harms.

WSI turns fragmented public data about severe human harms into clear visual explanations, showing what the numbers measure, how they differ, and what they can - and cannot - tell us.

The Guide explains how official and source-derived measures are defined and related. It does not make unlike figures additive or comparable. Registry version WSI-SMR-v1.3.0 | Last updated 18 September 2026.

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Showing 45 of 45 measures

Hunger and food securitypeoplemodeled estimate

Prevalence of undernourishment

Who is likely to have chronically insufficient dietary energy?

What it countsPeople or population share
Unitpeople or percent
PopulationWhole population
Geographic universeGlobal and country estimates
Time basisAnnual model estimate / multi-year statistical framework
Official sourceSOFI / FAO
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as the same as FIES food insecurity or acute food-crisis classifications.

Comparison limit: Not interchangeable with FIES, GRFC/IPC/CH, or child-wasting estimates.

Adding rule: Do not add to the other hunger headline populations.

Related measures
overlaps with: Moderate or severe FIES. The populations may overlap, but the measures use different constructs and the source package does not quantify overlap.
not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Modeled chronic dietary-energy inadequacy versus experience-based food-access difficulty.
not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Global modeled chronic-hunger estimate versus acute classification in selected crisis settings.
not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child anthropometric outcome versus whole-population dietary-energy estimate.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-POU

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-SOFI-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Modeled prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleperiod prevalence

Moderate or severe food insecurity measured by FIES

Who reports difficulty accessing adequate food?

What it countsPeople or population share
Unitpeople or percent
PopulationPeople age 15+ surveyed, calibrated to population estimates
Geographic universeGlobal and country estimates
Time basisPast 12 months / official reporting period
Official sourceSOFI / FAOSTAT FIES
What to watch

Common confusion: Often equated with chronic undernourishment or crisis-level acute food insecurity.

Comparison limit: Broader experiential measure; not a count of chronically undernourished people.

Adding rule: Do not add to PoU, GRFC/IPC/CH, or wasting totals.

Related measures
includes subset: Severe FIES. Severe FIES is included within moderate-or-severe FIES.
overlaps with: Undernourishment (PoU). The populations may overlap, but the measures use different constructs and the source package does not quantify overlap.
overlaps with: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. People may appear in both systems, but the measures have different universes, periods, and classification methods.
not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Modeled chronic dietary-energy inadequacy versus experience-based food-access difficulty.
not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Experience-based prevalence versus acute severity classification in analysed crisis settings.
not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child physical outcome versus experience-based food access.
not additive to: Severe FIES. Severe FIES is already included within moderate-or-severe FIES.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-FIES-MODSEV

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-SOFI-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Experience-based prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleperiod prevalence

Severe food insecurity measured by FIES

Who experiences the most severe range of reported food-access difficulty?

What it countsPeople or population share
Unitpeople or percent
PopulationPeople age 15+ surveyed, calibrated to population estimates
Geographic universeCountry and territory records in the validated FIES profile
Time basisPast 12 months / official reporting period
Official sourceFAOSTAT FIES
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes added to moderate-or-severe FIES even though it is already included.

Comparison limit: A subset of moderate-or-severe FIES; the Step 11B chart summarizes 125 records in prevalence bands.

Adding rule: Do not add to moderate-or-severe FIES.

Related measures
subset of: Moderate or severe FIES. Severe FIES is included within moderate-or-severe FIES.
not additive to: Moderate or severe FIES. Severe FIES is already included within moderate-or-severe FIES.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-FIES-SEVERE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 125-record FIES evidence profile

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-FIES-2023-2025-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Experience-based prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

High acute food insecurity at Crisis or worse

Who in analysed crisis settings needs urgent action?

What it countsPeople in covered crisis areas
Unitpeople
PopulationPeople in covered crisis areas
Geographic universeSelected crisis countries and areas
Time basisCurrent or projected acute analysis period
Official sourceGRFC / IPC / Cadre Harmonisé
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as a global prevalence estimate comparable to FIES or PoU.

Comparison limit: The GRFC 2026 headline covers 47 analysed countries and territories, not the global population.

Adding rule: Do not add to global FIES, PoU, or child-wasting populations.

Related measures
overlaps with: Moderate or severe FIES. People may appear in both systems, but the measures have different universes, periods, and classification methods.
overlaps with: Wasting. The populations may overlap, but the source package does not estimate the overlap and the measures count different outcomes.
not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Global modeled chronic-hunger estimate versus acute classification in selected crisis settings.
not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Experience-based prevalence versus acute severity classification in analysed crisis settings.
not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child nutrition outcome versus acute food-insecurity classification.
same concept, different universe: Phase 3 - Crisis. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
same concept, different universe: Phase 4 - Emergency. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
same concept, different universe: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-GRFC-IPC3PLUS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Food Crises 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-GRFC-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Severity-classified acute population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 3 - Crisis

How many people are in Crisis, excluding those already counted in more severe phases?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set
Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries
Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period
Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence
What to watch

Common confusion: The cumulative Phase 3+ control includes Phase 4 and Phase 5 populations.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 4 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Phase 4 - Emergency. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
mutually exclusive with: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
same concept, different universe: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE3

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: WSI-derived mutually exclusive phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 4 - Emergency

How many people are in Emergency, excluding Phase 5?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set
Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries
Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period
Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence
What to watch

Common confusion: The cumulative Phase 4+ control already includes Phase 5.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Phase 3 - Crisis. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
mutually exclusive with: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
same concept, different universe: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE4

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: WSI-derived mutually exclusive phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine

How many people are classified in Catastrophe/Famine?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set
Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries
Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period
Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes treated as an additional count on top of cumulative Phase 4+ or Phase 3+ values.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added only to mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 4 values from the same set and period.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Phase 3 - Crisis. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
mutually exclusive with: Phase 4 - Emergency. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.
same concept, different universe: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE5

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Child nutritionchildrenprevalence estimate

Child wasting

Which children have a serious physical nutrition outcome?

What it countsChildren under age five or prevalence
Unitchildren or percent
PopulationChildren under age five
Geographic universeGlobal and regional estimates
Time basisSurvey/model reference year
Official sourceUNICEF/WHO/World Bank JME
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as another count of food-insecure or hungry people.

Comparison limit: A child nutrition outcome, not a food-access or acute-crisis population measure.

Adding rule: Do not add to PoU, FIES, or GRFC/IPC/CH populations.

Related measures
includes subset: Severe wasting. Severe wasting is included within total wasting.
overlaps with: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. The populations may overlap, but the source package does not estimate the overlap and the measures count different outcomes.
not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Child anthropometric outcome versus whole-population dietary-energy estimate.
not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Child physical outcome versus experience-based food access.
not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Child nutrition outcome versus acute food-insecurity classification.
not additive to: Severe wasting. Severe wasting is already included within total wasting.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JME-WASTING

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates 2025 edition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-JME-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Prevalence and number of children

Status: active

Link to this measure

Child nutritionchildrenprevalence estimate

Severe child wasting

How many children are in the severe wasting subset?

What it countsChildren under age five or prevalence
Unitchildren or percent
PopulationChildren under age five
Geographic universeGlobal and regional estimates
Time basisSurvey/model reference year
Official sourceUNICEF/WHO/World Bank JME
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes added to total wasting even though severe wasting is already included.

Comparison limit: A subset of total wasting.

Adding rule: Do not add to total wasting.

Related measures
subset of: Wasting. Severe wasting is included within total wasting.
not additive to: Wasting. Severe wasting is already included within total wasting.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JME-SEVERE-WASTING

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates 2025 edition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-JME-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Prevalence and number of children

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Refugees globally - broad UNHCR headline

How many people are included in UNHCR’s broad global refugee headline?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationThree published refugee/protection groupings
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as identical to refugees under UNHCR mandate or combined again with the refugee-like subset.

Comparison limit: The 41.6 million headline is a rounded grouping of three components.

Adding rule: Do not add the refugee-like subset again.

Related measures
includes component: UNHCR-mandate refugees. Refugees under UNHCR mandate are one component of the broad headline.
includes component: Other people needing protection. Other people in need of international protection are one component of the broad headline.
includes component: Palestine refugees under UNRWA. Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate are one component of the broad headline.
derived from: UNHCR-mandate refugees. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
derived from: Other people needing protection. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
derived from: Palestine refugees under UNRWA. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
not directly comparable to: All-cause IDP stock. Cross-border refugee categories versus people displaced within their country.
not directly comparable to: All internal displacement movements. Year-end refugee stock versus annual internal displacement movements.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEES-GLOBAL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Published rounded stock headline

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Refugees under UNHCR mandate

How many refugees are reported under UNHCR’s mandate?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationRefugees under UNHCR mandate
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends
What to watch

Common confusion: Often used as if it were the same as the broader 41.6 million refugee headline.

Comparison limit: Includes people in refugee-like situations.

Adding rule: May be combined with the other two published components only when reproducing the broad headline; do not add refugee-like situations separately.

Related measures
includes subset: Refugee-like situations. UNHCR states that refugee-like situations are included within refugees under its mandate.
component of: Refugees globally. Refugees under UNHCR mandate are one component of the broad headline.
used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
not additive to: Refugee-like situations. Refugee-like situations are already included within the UNHCR-mandate refugee total.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEES-UNHCR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

People in refugee-like situations

How many people are reported in refugee-like situations?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationPeople in refugee-like situations
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceUNHCR figures and methodology
What to watch

Common confusion: Frequently added to refugees under UNHCR mandate even though it is already included.

Comparison limit: Subset of refugees under UNHCR mandate.

Adding rule: Do not add to refugees under UNHCR mandate or the broad refugee headline.

Related measures
subset of: UNHCR-mandate refugees. UNHCR states that refugee-like situations are included within refugees under its mandate.
not additive to: UNHCR-mandate refugees. Refugee-like situations are already included within the UNHCR-mandate refugee total.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEE-LIKE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock subset

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Other people in need of international protection

How many people are reported in this separate international-protection category?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationOther people in need of international protection
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes omitted when readers reconstruct the broad refugee headline.

Comparison limit: A separate component of the broad 41.6 million headline.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the two other published components only for the broad refugee headline.

Related measures
component of: Refugees globally. Other people in need of international protection are one component of the broad headline.
used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-OIP

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate

How many Palestine refugees are reported under UNRWA mandate in the broad headline?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationPalestine refugees under UNRWA mandate
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends / UNRWA mandate category
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes omitted or treated as if it were already within the UNHCR-mandate refugee component.

Comparison limit: Reported separately under UNRWA mandate and used as one component of the broad headline.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the other two components only for the broad refugee headline.

Related measures
component of: Refugees globally. Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate are one component of the broad headline.
used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-PALESTINE-REFUGEES-UNRWA

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement - all causes

How many people were still living in internal displacement at year-end?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationInternally displaced people
Geographic universeIDMC global estimate
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with annual internal displacement movements.

Comparison limit: A people stock at one point in time, not the number of displacement events during the year.

Adding rule: Conflict and disaster stock components can be combined within the same year and source universe.

Related measures
derived from: Conflict IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.
derived from: Disaster IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.
stock versus flow: All internal displacement movements. The all causes stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: All internal displacement movements. The all causes stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
not directly comparable to: Refugees globally. Cross-border refugee categories versus people displaced within their country.
not directly comparable to: All internal displacement movements. People at year-end versus movement events during the year.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-ALL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement due to conflict and violence

How many people remained internally displaced by conflict and violence at year-end?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationConflict- and violence-related IDPs
Geographic universeIDMC global estimate
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with conflict-related displacement movements during the year.

Comparison limit: Counts people remaining displaced, not repeated movements.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the disaster IDP stock from the same year and source universe.

Related measures
used to derive: All-cause IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.
stock versus flow: Conflict displacement movements. The conflict and violence stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: Conflict displacement movements. The conflict and violence stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-CONFLICT

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement due to disasters

How many people remained internally displaced by disasters at year-end?

What it countsPeople
Unitpeople
PopulationDisaster-related IDPs
Geographic universeIDMC global estimate
Time basisEnd-year stock
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with disaster displacement movements during the year.

Comparison limit: Counts people remaining displaced, not temporary evacuations or repeated movements as events.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the conflict IDP stock from the same year and source universe.

Related measures
used to derive: All-cause IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.
stock versus flow: Disaster displacement movements. The disasters stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: Disaster displacement movements. The disasters stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-DISASTER

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements - all causes

How many internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements
Unitmovements
PopulationInternal displacement movements
Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories
Time basisAnnual flow
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often interpreted as unique people or compared directly with the year-end IDP stock.

Comparison limit: A person may be counted more than once; some disaster movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.

Adding rule: Conflict and disaster movements can be combined within the same year and source universe; do not add to the year-end stock.

Related measures
derived from: Conflict displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.
derived from: Disaster displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.
stock versus flow: All-cause IDP stock. The all causes stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: All-cause IDP stock. The all causes stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
not directly comparable to: Refugees globally. Year-end refugee stock versus annual internal displacement movements.
not directly comparable to: All-cause IDP stock. People at year-end versus movement events during the year.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-ALL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements linked to conflict and violence

How many conflict-related internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements
Unitmovements
PopulationConflict- and violence-related movements
Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories
Time basisAnnual flow
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.

Comparison limit: One person can be counted more than once.

Adding rule: Can be combined with disaster movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to conflict IDP stock.

Related measures
used to derive: All internal displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.
stock versus flow: Conflict IDP stock. The conflict and violence stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: Conflict IDP stock. The conflict and violence stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-CONFLICT

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements linked to disasters

How many disaster-related internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements
Unitmovements
PopulationDisaster-related movements
Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories
Time basisAnnual flow
Official sourceIDMC GRID
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.

Comparison limit: One person can be counted more than once; some movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.

Adding rule: Can be combined with conflict movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to disaster IDP stock.

Related measures
used to derive: All internal displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.
stock versus flow: Disaster IDP stock. The disasters stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.
people versus movements: Disaster IDP stock. The disasters stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-DISASTER

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaseeventsannual flow

Reported suspected dengue cases

How many suspected dengue cases were reported?

What it countsReported case events
Unitreported cases
PopulationPeople reported through national dengue surveillance
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourcePan American Health Organization
What to watch

Common confusion: Often read as the total number of infections or unique people infected.

Comparison limit: Surveillance counts depend on reporting and do not correct for under-ascertainment.

Adding rule: Do not add confirmed or severe cases because they are subsets of suspected cases.

Related measures
includes subset: Confirmed dengue cases. Confirmed cases are included within reported suspected cases.
includes subset: Severe dengue cases. Severe cases are included within reported suspected cases.
not additive to: Confirmed dengue cases. Adding confirmed cases to suspected cases would double count the confirmed subset.
not additive to: Severe dengue cases. Adding severe cases to suspected cases would double count the severe subset.
event versus outcome: Dengue deaths. Deaths are outcomes associated with reported cases, not another case category.
used to derive: Confirmed share. The denominator is the suspected-case count.
used to derive: Severe share. The denominator is the suspected-case count.
used to derive: Case-fatality rate. The denominator is the reported suspected-case count.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-SUSPECTED-CASES

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Suspected cases

Output type: Source-reported surveillance count

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaseeventsannual flow

Reported confirmed dengue cases

How many reported dengue cases were confirmed?

What it countsConfirmed case events within reported suspected cases
Unitreported cases
PopulationReported suspected cases with confirmation status
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourcePan American Health Organization
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes treated as an additional population beyond suspected cases.

Comparison limit: Confirmation practices and reporting can differ across settings.

Adding rule: Subset of suspected cases; do not add to the suspected total.

Related measures
subset of: Suspected dengue cases. Confirmed cases are included within reported suspected cases.
not additive to: Suspected dengue cases. Adding confirmed cases to suspected cases would double count the confirmed subset.
used to derive: Confirmed share. The numerator is the confirmed-case count.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-CONFIRMED-CASES

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Confirmed cases

Output type: Source-reported surveillance count

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaseeventsannual flow

Reported severe dengue cases

How many reported dengue cases were classified as severe?

What it countsSevere case events within reported suspected cases
Unitreported cases
PopulationReported suspected dengue cases
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourcePan American Health Organization
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes added to suspected cases even though it is a subset.

Comparison limit: Severity classification depends on surveillance definitions and reporting.

Adding rule: Subset of suspected cases; do not add to the suspected total.

Related measures
subset of: Suspected dengue cases. Severe cases are included within reported suspected cases.
not additive to: Suspected dengue cases. Adding severe cases to suspected cases would double count the severe subset.
used to derive: Severe share. The numerator is the severe-case count.
not directly comparable to: Dengue deaths. Deaths and severe cases are different outcome and severity measures.
not directly comparable to: Severe share. A share and a case count answer different questions.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-SEVERE-CASES

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Severe cases

Output type: Source-reported surveillance count

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseasepeopleannual flow

Reported dengue deaths

How many dengue deaths were reported?

What it countsReported deaths
Unitdeaths
PopulationReported dengue deaths
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourcePan American Health Organization
What to watch

Common confusion: Deaths are sometimes treated as another mutually exclusive case category.

Comparison limit: A death count is an outcome measure and should be interpreted separately from case counts.

Adding rule: Do not add deaths to case counts to create a total burden.

Related measures
outcome versus event: Suspected dengue cases. Deaths are outcomes associated with reported cases, not another case category.
used to derive: Case-fatality rate. The numerator is the reported death count.
not directly comparable to: Severe dengue cases. Deaths and severe cases are different outcome and severity measures.
not directly comparable to: Case-fatality rate. A rate and a death count answer different questions.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-DEATHS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Deaths

Output type: Source-reported outcome count

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaserateperiod rate

Confirmed cases as share of suspected cases

What share of reported suspected cases were confirmed?

What it countsRatio of two reported case counts
Unitpercent
PopulationReported suspected dengue cases
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourceWSI arithmetic from PAHO controls
What to watch

Common confusion: Not a population incidence rate and not a separate count.

Comparison limit: Depends on surveillance confirmation practices and the suspected-case denominator.

Adding rule: A rate cannot be added to case counts.

Related measures
derived from: Confirmed dengue cases. The numerator is the confirmed-case count.
derived from: Suspected dengue cases. The denominator is the suspected-case count.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-CONFIRMED-SHARE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Confirmed / suspected

Output type: WSI-derived ratio from source counts

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaserateperiod rate

Severe cases as share of suspected cases

What share of reported suspected cases were classified as severe?

What it countsRatio of severe case events to suspected case events
Unitpercent
PopulationReported suspected dengue cases
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourceWSI arithmetic from PAHO controls
What to watch

Common confusion: Not a population risk or incidence rate.

Comparison limit: Uses reported suspected cases as the denominator and does not adjust for under-ascertainment.

Adding rule: A rate cannot be added to case counts.

Related measures
derived from: Severe dengue cases. The numerator is the severe-case count.
derived from: Suspected dengue cases. The denominator is the suspected-case count.
not directly comparable to: Severe dengue cases. A share and a case count answer different questions.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-SEVERE-SHARE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Severe / suspected

Output type: WSI-derived ratio from source counts

Status: active

Link to this measure

Infectious diseaserateperiod rate

Reported dengue case-fatality rate

How many reported deaths occurred relative to reported suspected cases?

What it countsRatio of reported deaths to reported suspected cases
Unitpercent
PopulationReported suspected dengue cases
Geographic universeAmericas regional surveillance reporting universe
Time basisAnnual surveillance period
Official sourcePAHO reported rate; WSI arithmetic reproduces the value
What to watch

Common confusion: Not a population mortality rate and not a count of deaths.

Comparison limit: Depends on both death reporting and the reported-case denominator.

Adding rule: A rate cannot be added to case counts or deaths.

Related measures
derived from: Dengue deaths. The numerator is the reported death count.
derived from: Suspected dengue cases. The denominator is the reported suspected-case count.
not directly comparable to: Dengue deaths. A rate and a death count answer different questions.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-DENGUE-CASE-FATALITY-RATE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.1.0

Source release: Reported dengue in the Americas, 2025 - validated WSI release v1.1

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-PAHO-DENGUE-AMERICAS-2025

Indicator code: Deaths / suspected

Output type: Source-reported rounded rate with reproducible arithmetic

Status: active

Link to this measure

Mortalitycountannual outcome count

Estimated under-five deaths

How many children were estimated to die before age 5?

What it countsEstimated deaths
Unitdeaths
PopulationLive-born children from birth to exact age 5
Geographic universeWorld and UN IGME reporting geographies
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
What to watch

Common confusion: Often added to neonatal deaths even though neonatal deaths are already included.

Comparison limit: A count describing total scale; it is not interchangeable with the probability per 1,000 live births.

Adding rule: Neonatal deaths are a subset; do not add them to under-five deaths.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-U5-DEATHS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalityrateperiod probability

Under-five mortality rate

What is the estimated probability of dying before age 5?

What it countsDeaths relative to live births
Unitdeaths per 1,000 live births
PopulationLive births under the period's mortality conditions
Geographic universeWorld and UN IGME reporting geographies
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes read as a percentage or added to neonatal mortality rate.

Comparison limit: The live-birth denominator changes the question; use the death count to understand total scale.

Adding rule: Do not add to NMR or to any death count.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-U5MR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitycountannual outcome count

Estimated neonatal deaths

How many deaths were estimated during the first 28 days of life?

What it countsEstimated deaths
Unitdeaths
PopulationLive-born children from birth to exact day 28
Geographic universeWorld and UN IGME reporting geographies
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as additional to under-five deaths.

Comparison limit: This is an age-defined subset inside the under-five death count.

Adding rule: Subset of under-five deaths; never add to the under-five total.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-NEONATAL-DEATHS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalityrateperiod probability

Neonatal mortality rate

What is the estimated probability of dying during the first 28 days?

What it countsDeaths relative to live births
Unitdeaths per 1,000 live births
PopulationLive births under the period's neonatal mortality conditions
Geographic universeWorld and UN IGME reporting geographies
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes subtracted from or added to U5MR as though the marginal probabilities were components.

Comparison limit: The age interval is nested within U5MR, but the published rates must not be naively added or subtracted.

Adding rule: Do not add to U5MR or to a death count.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-NMR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitysharecomposition share

Neonatal share of under-five deaths

What share of under-five deaths occurred in the first 28 days?

What it countsShare of a death total
Unitpercent of under-five deaths
PopulationEstimated under-five deaths in the same year and UN IGME vintage
Geographic universeWorld in this Visual Brief
Time basisAnnual derived share
Official sourceWSI derivation from UN IGME point estimates
What to watch

Common confusion: A rising share can be misread as a rising neonatal death count.

Comparison limit: The share can rise while both neonatal and total under-five deaths fall.

Adding rule: The share describes the composition of under-five deaths; it is not added to the count.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-NEONATAL-SHARE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitytrend statisticrate of change

Annual rate of reduction in child mortality

How quickly did a child mortality rate decline over the stated interval?

What it countsAverage annual pace of change
Unitpercent per year
PopulationThe underlying global U5MR or NMR series over the stated interval
Geographic universeWorld in this Visual Brief
Time basisMulti-year interval
Official sourceUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes read as a mortality rate or as evidence of a particular cause.

Comparison limit: ARR describes pace, not level, total deaths, or causation.

Adding rule: Do not add to rates, counts, or shares.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-UNIGME-CHILD-ARR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitycountannual outcome count

Estimated maternal deaths

How many women were estimated to die from maternal causes during the year?

What it countsEstimated deaths
Unitdeaths
PopulationWomen dying while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination from related or aggravated causes, excluding incidental causes
Geographic universe195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 release
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceMaternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes combined with child deaths or treated as the numerator alone for cross-setting risk comparison.

Comparison limit: Use MMR for deaths relative to live births; keep 2023 maternal deaths separate from 2024 child deaths.

Adding rule: Do not combine with child mortality counts in this brief.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-MMEIG-MATERNAL-DEATHS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalityratioperiod ratio

Maternal mortality ratio

What is the estimated maternal-death burden relative to live births?

What it countsMaternal deaths relative to live births
Unitmaternal deaths per 100,000 live births
PopulationMaternal deaths and live births in the same population and year
Geographic universe195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 release
Time basisAnnual model estimate
Official sourceMaternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group
What to watch

Common confusion: Often called a rate, read as a percentage, or treated as a count.

Comparison limit: MMR uses 100,000 live births as its denominator and is not the same construct as adult lifetime risk.

Adding rule: Do not add to any child mortality rate, count, or lifetime risk.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-MMEIG-MMR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalityprobabilitylifetime probability

Adult lifetime risk of maternal death

What is the estimated lifetime probability of maternal death under current conditions?

What it countsProbability over the remaining lifetime
Unitprobability, commonly expressed as 1 in N
PopulationGirls age 15 under the reference year's mortality and fertility conditions
Geographic universe195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 release
Time basisPeriod life-table estimate
Official sourceMaternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group
What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as a simple rescaling of MMR.

Comparison limit: Lifetime risk depends on fertility and competing mortality as well as MMR.

Adding rule: Do not add to MMR, maternal deaths, or child mortality indicators.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-MMEIG-LIFETIME-RISK

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitytrend statisticrate of change

Annual rate of reduction in maternal mortality ratio

How quickly did MMR decline, or how quickly would it need to decline for a stated target scenario?

What it countsAverage annual pace of change
Unitpercent per year
PopulationThe global MMR series or a target-consistent scenario over the stated interval
Geographic universeWorld in this Visual Brief
Time basisMulti-year interval
Official sourceMaternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group
What to watch

Common confusion: The 14.8% required pace can be misread as a forecast.

Comparison limit: Historical ARR and required ARR answer different questions; the required value is a scenario, not a projection.

Adding rule: Do not add to MMR or death counts.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-MMEIG-MMR-ARR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Mortalitytargettarget threshold

SDG 3.1 global maternal mortality target

What global MMR threshold is specified for 2030?

What it countsTarget threshold
Unitmaternal deaths per 100,000 live births
PopulationGlobal maternal mortality ratio
Geographic universeWorld
Time basis2030 target
Official sourceUnited Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.1
What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes drawn as though it were a forecasted 2030 estimate.

Comparison limit: The target provides a benchmark in the same unit as MMR; it is not an observed or forecast value.

Adding rule: Do not add to MMR or any count.

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-SDG-MMR-TARGET

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.2.0

Status: Active; official source verified

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Safely managed drinking water

How many people use safely managed household drinking water?

Population using an improved water source on the premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: This is not the same as merely using an improved source.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: Subset of at least basic. Do not add those two measures together.

Related measures
subset of: At least basic. Safely managed is included in at least basic; adding them double counts.
mutually exclusive with: Basic only. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Limited. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Unimproved. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Surface water. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-SM

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_sm_{t,r,u}; SDG 6.1.1

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

At least basic drinking water

How many people have at least a basic household drinking-water service?

Population using an improved source with collection taking no more than 30 minutes round trip, including queuing; includes safely managed service.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: The source column includes safely managed; it is not basic only.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: Superset of safely managed. Do not add it to safely managed or basic only.

Related measures
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-BASIC-PLUS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_basal_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Basic drinking water, excluding safely managed

How many people have basic but not safely managed service?

The service-ladder category calculated as at least basic minus safely managed, for the same year, residence group and universe.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: Not safely managed is not equivalent to confirmed contaminated water.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: Disjoint from limited, unimproved and surface water; together they form the lacking-safely-managed total in the same universe. Do not also add that total.

Related measures
derived from: At least basic. Basic only = at least basic minus safely managed, within the same year and population.
derived from: Safely managed. Basic only subtracts safely managed from at least basic.
mutually exclusive with: Safely managed. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Limited. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Unimproved. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Surface water. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
component of: Lacking safely managed. Included inside the deficit total, not additional to it.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-BASIC-ONLY

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_basal_{t,r,u} - wat_sm_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Limited drinking-water service

How many people face collection times above the basic-service threshold?

Population using an improved source where a round trip to collect water takes more than 30 minutes, including queuing.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: An improved source can still provide a limited service.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: A mutually exclusive service-ladder category. Add only within the same year and population; do not add the deficit total to its components.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Safely managed. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Basic only. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Unimproved. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Surface water. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
component of: Lacking safely managed. Included inside the deficit total, not additional to it.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-LIMITED

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_lim_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Unimproved drinking-water source

How many people use unimproved household drinking-water sources?

Population using water from an unprotected dug well or unprotected spring.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: Separate from direct surface-water use in the JMP service ladder.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: A mutually exclusive service-ladder category; do not add it twice via the lacking-safely-managed total.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Safely managed. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Basic only. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Limited. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Surface water. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
component of: Lacking safely managed. Included inside the deficit total, not additional to it.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-UNIMPROVED

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_unimp_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Direct surface-water use

How many people use surface water directly for household drinking water?

Population using drinking water directly from a river, dam, lake, pond, stream or canal.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: This is one component of the broader lack of safely managed service.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: A mutually exclusive service-ladder category; included in the deficit, not additional to it.

Related measures
mutually exclusive with: Safely managed. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Basic only. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Limited. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
mutually exclusive with: Unimproved. These are disjoint categories of one service ladder in the same year and population.
component of: Lacking safely managed. Included inside the deficit total, not additional to it.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-SURFACE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: wat_ns_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

Drinking waterpeople and percentannual estimate

Population lacking safely managed drinking water

How large is the gap in safely managed household drinking-water service?

Complement of safely managed coverage. Includes basic only, limited, unimproved and surface-water service levels.

What it countsPeople represented by annual household service estimates
Unitpeople and percent of the stated residence population
PopulationWorld population; Total, Rural or Urban, explicitly identified in each observation
Geographic universeWorld
Time basisAnnual service estimate
Official sourceWHO/UNICEF JMP, August 2025
What to watch

Common confusion: Not a count of people with no source, confirmed contaminated water, illness, or measured suffering.

Comparison limit: Use the same JMP release, year and residence denominator. Counts are calculated from population and coverage; world/residence residuals are retained. These are living-condition measures, not mortality or USU.

Adding rule: Contains four disjoint ladder categories. Do not add them to this total. Do not add annual values to claim unique people across time.

Related measures
derived from: Safely managed. Lacking safely managed coverage = 100 minus safely managed coverage.
Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JMP-WATER-LACK-SM

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.3.0

Source indicator: 100 - wat_sm_{t,r,u}

Status: active

Link to this measure

How the measures connect

Related measures may be subsets, components, outcomes, rates, stocks, flows, or overlapping concepts. A relationship does not make the values additive.

subset ofA narrower group contained within a broader measure.
component ofOne component of a grouped headline or total.
derived fromCalculated from one or more source measures.
mutually exclusive withCategories designed not to overlap within the same source system.
overlaps withMay describe some of the same people, without a quantified overlap.
people versus movementsOne measure counts people; the other counts displacement events.
stock versus flowOne measures a point-in-time stock; the other an annual flow.
outcome versus eventOne counts an outcome such as death; the other counts reported case events.
not additive toThe values should not be summed.
not directly comparable toDifferent constructs, denominators, units, or universes.
same concept, different universeRelated concept measured across different coverage universes.

Measures across WSI topics

MeasureCountsPeople or eventsStock or flowTime basisGeographic universeCan it be added?Key distinction
Undernourishment (PoU)People or population sharepeoplemodeled estimateAnnual model estimate / multi-year statistical frameworkGlobal and country estimatesDo not add to the other hunger headline populations.Often treated as the same as FIES food insecurity or acute food-crisis classifications.
Moderate or severe FIESPeople or population sharepeopleperiod prevalencePast 12 months / official reporting periodGlobal and country estimatesDo not add to PoU, GRFC/IPC/CH, or wasting totals.Often equated with chronic undernourishment or crisis-level acute food insecurity.
Severe FIESPeople or population sharepeopleperiod prevalencePast 12 months / official reporting periodCountry and territory records in the validated FIES profileDo not add to moderate-or-severe FIES.Sometimes added to moderate-or-severe FIES even though it is already included.
IPC/CH Phase 3 or worsePeople in covered crisis areaspeopleclassification-period populationCurrent or projected acute analysis periodSelected crisis countries and areasDo not add to global FIES, PoU, or child-wasting populations.Often treated as a global prevalence estimate comparable to FIES or PoU.
Phase 3 - CrisisPeoplepeopleclassification-period populationJune-August 2026 displayed periodFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countriesMay be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 4 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.The cumulative Phase 3+ control includes Phase 4 and Phase 5 populations.
Phase 4 - EmergencyPeoplepeopleclassification-period populationJune-August 2026 displayed periodFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countriesMay be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.The cumulative Phase 4+ control already includes Phase 5.
Phase 5 - Catastrophe/FaminePeoplepeopleclassification-period populationJune-August 2026 displayed periodFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countriesMay be added only to mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 4 values from the same set and period.Sometimes treated as an additional count on top of cumulative Phase 4+ or Phase 3+ values.
WastingChildren under age five or prevalencechildrenprevalence estimateSurvey/model reference yearGlobal and regional estimatesDo not add to PoU, FIES, or GRFC/IPC/CH populations.Often treated as another count of food-insecure or hungry people.
Severe wastingChildren under age five or prevalencechildrenprevalence estimateSurvey/model reference yearGlobal and regional estimatesDo not add to total wasting.Sometimes added to total wasting even though severe wasting is already included.
Refugees globallyPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockWorldDo not add the refugee-like subset again.Often treated as identical to refugees under UNHCR mandate or combined again with the refugee-like subset.
UNHCR-mandate refugeesPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockWorldMay be combined with the other two published components only when reproducing the broad headline; do not add refugee-like situations separately.Often used as if it were the same as the broader 41.6 million refugee headline.
Refugee-like situationsPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockWorldDo not add to refugees under UNHCR mandate or the broad refugee headline.Frequently added to refugees under UNHCR mandate even though it is already included.
Other people needing protectionPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockWorldCan be combined with the two other published components only for the broad refugee headline.Sometimes omitted when readers reconstruct the broad refugee headline.
Palestine refugees under UNRWAPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockWorldCan be combined with the other two components only for the broad refugee headline.Sometimes omitted or treated as if it were already within the UNHCR-mandate refugee component.
All-cause IDP stockPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockIDMC global estimateConflict and disaster stock components can be combined within the same year and source universe.Often compared directly with annual internal displacement movements.
Conflict IDP stockPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockIDMC global estimateCan be combined with the disaster IDP stock from the same year and source universe.Often compared directly with conflict-related displacement movements during the year.
Disaster IDP stockPeoplepeopleyear-end stockEnd-year stockIDMC global estimateCan be combined with the conflict IDP stock from the same year and source universe.Often compared directly with disaster displacement movements during the year.
All internal displacement movementsMovementseventsannual flowAnnual flowIDMC recorded countries and territoriesConflict and disaster movements can be combined within the same year and source universe; do not add to the year-end stock.Often interpreted as unique people or compared directly with the year-end IDP stock.
Conflict displacement movementsMovementseventsannual flowAnnual flowIDMC recorded countries and territoriesCan be combined with disaster movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to conflict IDP stock.Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.
Disaster displacement movementsMovementseventsannual flowAnnual flowIDMC recorded countries and territoriesCan be combined with conflict movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to disaster IDP stock.Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.
Suspected dengue casesReported case eventseventsannual flowAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeDo not add confirmed or severe cases because they are subsets of suspected cases.Often read as the total number of infections or unique people infected.
Confirmed dengue casesConfirmed case events within reported suspected caseseventsannual flowAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeSubset of suspected cases; do not add to the suspected total.Sometimes treated as an additional population beyond suspected cases.
Severe dengue casesSevere case events within reported suspected caseseventsannual flowAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeSubset of suspected cases; do not add to the suspected total.Sometimes added to suspected cases even though it is a subset.
Dengue deathsReported deathspeopleannual flowAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeDo not add deaths to case counts to create a total burden.Deaths are sometimes treated as another mutually exclusive case category.
Confirmed shareRatio of two reported case countsrateperiod rateAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeA rate cannot be added to case counts.Not a population incidence rate and not a separate count.
Severe shareRatio of severe case events to suspected case eventsrateperiod rateAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeA rate cannot be added to case counts.Not a population risk or incidence rate.
Case-fatality rateRatio of reported deaths to reported suspected casesrateperiod rateAnnual surveillance periodAmericas regional surveillance reporting universeA rate cannot be added to case counts or deaths.Not a population mortality rate and not a count of deaths.
Under-five deathsEstimated deathspeopleannual outcome countAnnual model estimateWorld and UN IGME reporting geographiesNeonatal deaths are a subset; do not add them to under-five deaths.Often added to neonatal deaths even though neonatal deaths are already included.
U5MRDeaths relative to live birthspeopleperiod probabilityAnnual model estimateWorld and UN IGME reporting geographiesDo not add to NMR or to any death count.Sometimes read as a percentage or added to neonatal mortality rate.
Neonatal deathsEstimated deathspeopleannual outcome countAnnual model estimateWorld and UN IGME reporting geographiesSubset of under-five deaths; never add to the under-five total.Often treated as additional to under-five deaths.
NMRDeaths relative to live birthspeopleperiod probabilityAnnual model estimateWorld and UN IGME reporting geographiesDo not add to U5MR or to a death count.Sometimes subtracted from or added to U5MR as though the marginal probabilities were components.
Neonatal shareShare of a death totalpeoplecomposition shareAnnual derived shareWorld in this Visual BriefThe share describes the composition of under-five deaths; it is not added to the count.A rising share can be misread as a rising neonatal death count.
Child mortality ARRAverage annual pace of changeneitherrate of changeMulti-year intervalWorld in this Visual BriefDo not add to rates, counts, or shares.Sometimes read as a mortality rate or as evidence of a particular cause.
Maternal deathsEstimated deathspeopleannual outcome countAnnual model estimate195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 releaseDo not combine with child mortality counts in this brief.Sometimes combined with child deaths or treated as the numerator alone for cross-setting risk comparison.
MMRMaternal deaths relative to live birthspeopleperiod ratioAnnual model estimate195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 releaseDo not add to any child mortality rate, count, or lifetime risk.Often called a rate, read as a percentage, or treated as a count.
Maternal lifetime riskProbability over the remaining lifetimepeoplelifetime probabilityPeriod life-table estimate195 countries and territories in the revised MMEIG 2000-2023 releaseDo not add to MMR, maternal deaths, or child mortality indicators.Often treated as a simple rescaling of MMR.
MMR ARRAverage annual pace of changeneitherrate of changeMulti-year intervalWorld in this Visual BriefDo not add to MMR or death counts.The 14.8% required pace can be misread as a forecast.
Global MMR targetTarget thresholdneithertarget threshold2030 targetWorldDo not add to MMR or any count.Sometimes drawn as though it were a forecasted 2030 estimate.
Safely managedPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldSubset of at least basic. Do not add those two measures together.This is not the same as merely using an improved source.
At least basicPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldSuperset of safely managed. Do not add it to safely managed or basic only.The source column includes safely managed; it is not basic only.
Basic onlyPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldDisjoint from limited, unimproved and surface water; together they form the lacking-safely-managed total in the same universe. Do not also add that total.Not safely managed is not equivalent to confirmed contaminated water.
LimitedPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldA mutually exclusive service-ladder category. Add only within the same year and population; do not add the deficit total to its components.An improved source can still provide a limited service.
UnimprovedPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldA mutually exclusive service-ladder category; do not add it twice via the lacking-safely-managed total.Separate from direct surface-water use in the JMP service ladder.
Surface waterPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldA mutually exclusive service-ladder category; included in the deficit, not additional to it.This is one component of the broader lack of safely managed service.
Lacking safely managedPeople represented by annual household service estimatespeoplemodeled estimateAnnual service estimateWorldContains four disjoint ladder categories. Do not add them to this total. Do not add annual values to claim unique people across time.Not a count of people with no source, confirmed contaminated water, illness, or measured suffering.

Registry files and schemas

These are WSI-organized metadata and source-derived observations. They do not replace official source data, and the original source terms and limitations continue to apply.

Registry bundle

All approved registry components in one JSON file.

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Measure profiles

The 38 public definitions and metadata records.

CSV | JSON

Comparison matrix

A concise table for major hunger, displacement, nutrition, and dengue measures.

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Source releases

10 source-release records used by the registry.

CSV | JSON

Measure relationships

69 explicit subset, outcome, stock/flow, and comparability records.

CSV | JSON

Observations

123 source-derived observations across four validated WSI stories.

CSV | JSON

JSON Schemas

Nine schemas for the registry components and bundle.

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Complete public package

Registry files, comparison matrix, and schemas.

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File manifest

Sizes and SHA-256 checksums for the current public downloads.

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