Congenital disorders (often also called birth defects) are “any potential pathological conditions arising before birth whether they are evident at birth or become manifest later in life”. They represent a significant public health issue, impacting at least 5 million births each year and contributing to over a quarter (27.7%) of under-5 child mortality in high-income countries, and 7.4% in low- and middle- income countries. For policymakers to mount a relevant healthcare response to care for those affected, the burden of disease of these conditions must be quantified.The Modell Database of Congenital Disorders (MGDb) is designed to generate evidence-based country-specific estimates of their birth prevalence and outcomes and make them publicly available. The collection describes the methods, inputs and results from the MGDb approach.