The objective of this guide is to help countries monitor and analyse the impact of COVID-19 on essential health services to ultimately inform planning and decision-making. It provides practical recommendations on how to use key performance indicators to analyse changes in access to and delivery of essential health services within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic or other health emergencies; how to visualize and interpret these data; and how to use the findings to guide modifications for safe delivery of services and transitioning towards restoration and recovery. The guide focuses on existing indicators and data that are captured in routine reporting systems (sometimes referred to as health management information systems [HMIS]) and how they could be used by national and subnational authorities to understand specific contexts, challenges and bottlenecks.