The mortality rate is a measure of how many people out of a specific population have died during a certain period of time. It can be calculated by dividing the number of deaths in that group by the total number of individuals and then multiplying by 100 to get the percentage. The mortality rate is often used as an indicator of overall health, safety or quality of life within a particular region, country or population group. A high mortality rate can indicate a serious public health issue while a low one indicates good health outcomes for that population.