Deaths among migrant workers from South Asia and beyond in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) is a longstanding issue. These deaths are often dismissed as being of "natural" causes, and the information available (or lack thereof) is too fragmented to pinpoint the exact circumstances that lead to the demise of these workers and for any justice to be sought.

The Vital Signs report, a product of an effort by a multi organisation group working to advance the rights of migrant workers in the Gulf, Vital Signs partnership, highlights the issue of obscurity of information around the deaths of migrant workers in the Gulf and presents multiple evidence-backed scenarios as to why the death rates of these workers is high in the region, such as heat stress and associated diseases like chronic kidney disease CKDnt, and no access to healthcare.

Despite issues with data insufficiency, the report disaggregates the available data on migrants deaths in the GCC into countries of origin and countries of destination. Half of the 10,000 deaths recorded annually according to this data is without any underlying causes reported.

The report also presents individual cases of workers who have lost their lives to highlight the unnatural circumstances around their deaths.