Health status indicators are a set of surveillance data that has been analysed in a way that permits assessment of the health status of the population so that public health priorities and actions can be appropriately identified. The selection of indicators should be primarily based on existing and comparable data sets for which regular monitoring is feasible, but it should also take into consideration likely future data needs and diagnostic and treatment developments. Indicators should be comprehensive, valid (sensitive), standardised, meet quality criteria, and be flexible (never fixed and final) to support evolving health policies. Based on the suggestions of the ECHI project1, indicators are subdivided into health status indicators (disease specific mortality, morbidity and disability), determinants of health (biological risk factors and health behaviours) and health systems (surgical procedures, medication use, use of health services).