Indicators
To deliver the best-available science the Lancet Countdown has developed an open, transparent, and rigorous process for the development and improvement of its indicators, data and methods. Read more about this process below.
Our indicators span a range of disciplines and expertise. Each indicator in the Lancet Countdown’s assessment must:
- Track an aspect of the relationship between health and climate change, well evidenced in the literature and not adequately covered through other indicators in the report.
- Utilise data from a reliable source, available at adequate temporal and spatial scales to enable trends to be observed at a global level.
- Be updatable periodically, ideally annually or more regularly.
The indicators must also be:
Track an aspect of the relationship between health and climate change that is well evidenced in the literature, and relevant at a global level
The area being tracked by the indicator must be of relevance to policy and decision makers, and/or represent an important contribution to the field of science of climate change and health
The indicator must use a well-established, internationally accepted, and peer-reviewed scientific method
The indicator should provide annual data for the recent past, and up to a year as recent as possible. It must be available across an adequate timescale to allow for the influence of climate change to be identified, where relevant
The indicator should be ideally available at a country, or higher, level of resolution. Its geographical coverage should be enough for global trends to be observed, covering at a first instance at least 40 countries evenly distributed across the four Human Development Index Groups and the five WHO regions, with possibility of expansion to at least 150 countries in the near-term. In the case of indicators tracking aspects relevant to restricted locations, they must provide data for at least 80% of relevant countries
The indicator should use data from a reliable source, fit for its purpose. Publicly available databases, and especially those developed by international organisations, governmental bodies or academic institutions, are preferred. Data sources must be regularly updated
We are committed to continuously improving our indicators, ensuring we deploy the best-available science to track progress on health and climate change across the world. The Lancet Countdown’s report goes through two tiers of strict assessment processes:
- The Indicator Quality Improvement Process: All new indicators undergo a thorough quality check and improvement process before being considered for the annual assessment. In this process, independent experts assess the quality and suitability of the indicator and provide constructive feedback to aid their development and improvement.
- The Lancet’s Peer Review Process: Each year, our report is published in The Lancet, one of the world’s highest impact general medical journals. Before publication, our report is stringently edited and peer-reviewed, to ensure its excellence and medical relevance.
