Nationally collected data for mortality and morbidity are coded according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). From the coded data international statistics are compiled. Due to national variations in coding, data are not always comparable. With the development of core curricula for mortality and morbidity coding, the Education Committee of the WHO Family of International Classifications Network developed an entry level standard for the education of medical coders. Through this enhanced and internationally consistent level of education the quality of the collected data can be increased.