life-table

views updated

life-table The life-table provides a summary, for a population or sub-population, of the relationship of mortality to age, based on prevailing mortality rates. It includes, for each age x, measures such as life-expectancy at age x and the probability of dying before age x + 1. The basic data necessary for the construction of a life-table are population totals and numbers of deaths per five-year age-groups (for an abridged table). Life-tables are used by demographers interested in comparing detailed mortality schedules between countries and sub-populations, and by actuaries in the calculation of life-insurance premiums.