Debre Markoss University
College of Natural and Computational Science
Department Of Statistics
Demography (Stat4071)
Chapter Three
Mortality
February, 2017 E.c
Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
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Chapter Three: Mortality
In chapter Three, we consider:
1. Concepts and data requirements of death statistics
2. Percentage distribution of death
3. Basic mortality measures
i. Crude death rate
ii. Specific death rates
iii. Age specific death rates (ASDR)
iv. Graphical presentation of ASDR
4. Standardization methods
5. Conventional infant mortality rates
6. Maternal death rate
7. Life table
i. Types of life tables
ii. Life table functions
iii. Construction of a simple life table
iv. Interpretation of a simple life table
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3.1. Concepts and Data Requirements of Death Statistics
❖ Death is one of the principal vital events that occur in human beings ones in their
lifetime.
❖ Death statistics are needed for demographic studies & for public
health administration. The most important uses of death statistics:
(1) The analysis of the present demographic status of the population as well as its
potential growth;
(2) Filling the administrative and research needs of public health agencies in
connection with the development, operation, and evaluation of public health
programs;
(3) The determination of administrative policy and action in connection with the
programs of government agencies other than those concerned with public health;
(4) Filling the need for information on population changes in relation to numerous
professional and commercial activities.
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…. Concepts and Data Requirements of Death Statistics
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…. Concepts and Data Requirements of Death Statistics
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…. Concepts and Data Requirements of Death Statistics
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…. Concepts and Data Requirements of Death Statistics
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Quality of Death Statistics
We may consider the deficiencies of death statistics based on
vital statistics registration systems under three headings:
(1) Accuracy of the definition of death applied,
(2) Completeness of registration, and
(3) Accuracy of allocation of deaths by place and time.
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3.2. Basic Mortality Measures
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3.2. Basic Mortality Measures
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…. Basic Mortality Measures
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…. Basic Mortality Measures
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…. Basic Mortality Measures
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3.3. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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…. Standardization Methods
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3.4. Conventional Infant Mortality Rates (CIMR)
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…. Conventional Infant Mortality Rates (CIMR)
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3.6. Maternal Death Rate (MDR)
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….. Maternal Death Rate (MDR)
▪ The maternal mortality ratio varies widely.
▪ The WHO with UNICEF (WHO, 1996) published country-by-country estimates of
maternal mortality ratios for 1990.
▪ The global estimate was 430 deaths per 100,000 births.
▪ The highest rates occurred primarily in the less developed regions.
▪ In terms of world regions, maternal deaths ranged from 11 per 100,000 births for
North America to 1060 per 100,000 births in East Africa in 1990.
▪ In case of Ethiopia it was 350 deaths/100,000 live births (2010).
▪ In the formula the number of births is employed as an approximation to the number
of women exposed to the risk of dying from puerperal causes.
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3.6. Life Table
⮚ A life table is a statistical tool used to represent the mortality and survival
patterns of a population.
⮚ it provides a detailed breakdown of how long people on average are expected
to live at different ages based on observed death rates.
⮚ Some of the measures of mortality we have seen are associated with a
statistical model known as a life table.
⮚ Life Table is a simple and fundamental tool in Demographic
analysis
⮚ that is used to analyze and present in a convenient way the mortality
experience of a population under consideration.
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….. Life Table
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…. Life Table
✓ A life table is designed essentially to measure mortality,
✓ But various specialists employ it in a variety of ways.
✓ Public health workers, demographers, actuaries, economists, and
many others
✓ use life tables in studies of longevity, fertility, migration, and
population growth, as well as in making projections of
population size and characteristics
✓ and in studies of widowhood, orphan hood, length of married life,
length of working life, and length of disability-free life.
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….. Life Table
✓ Life tables are, in essence, one form of combining mortality rates of
a population at different ages into a single statistical model.
✓ They are principally used to measure the level of mortality of the
population involved.
✓ One main advantages over other methods of measuring mortality is
that:
✓ they do not reflect the effects of the age distribution of an actual (specific age
structure) population and do not require the acceptance of a standard (a
hypothetic or representative) population.
✓ Another is that a life table readily permits making mortality
allowances for age cohorts.
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…. Life Table
• Therefore, a current life table may be viewed as a snapshot of
current mortality.
• It is an excellent summary description of mortality usually in a year
or a short period.
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…. Life Table
• Obviously, data over a long period of years are needed to
complete a single table, and it is not possible wholly on the basis of
actual data to construct generation tables for cohorts born in the
20th century (due to data over time, lack of complete historical data,
changes in mortality rate and so on).
• In practice, constructing generation life table is very difficult and
hence uncommon to use them,
• except, in specific areas such as, projections of mortality,
studies of mortality trends, and measurement of fertility
and reproductively.
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
• Demographers usually prepare the simpler abridged life table
rather than the more elaborate complete life table.
• Tables with values for 5 or 10-year intervals are sufficiently
detailed for most purposes, and the abridged table is less
burdensome to prepare and more convenient to use.
• Occasionally, the basic values from a complete life table are
presented only for every fifth age in order to economize on space.
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
▪ These six functions are generally calculated and published for
every life table.
▪ However, in some cases, because of limitations of space, some of
them may be omitted.
▪ This is done without a significant loss of information because the
functions are interrelated.
▪ In general, the mortality rate (nqx) is the basic function in the
table (i.e., the initial function from which all other life table
functions are derived).
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3.6.3. Construction of a simple Life Table
▪ Before constructing the life table the first thing to consider is, how to
calculate or obtain the values in the table.
1. Probability of Dying (nqx)
▪ In constructing a life table, the first column that needs to be
calculated is the probability of dying.
▪ It gives the probability of dying between exact ages x and x+n.
The formula is given as follows;
nqx = ndx/ lx
Where: ndx is number dying in the interval & lx number serviving in
the interval.
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…. Life Table
2. The number of persons survived at the age ‘x’ (lx)
✓ lx is the number of survivors at age x.
✓ The initial population called radix of the table, usually assumed
100,000.
lx= ndx/ nqx= ndx+ lx+n
where x is the starting age interval and n is the n is the length if the age interval
3. Number of person-years lived between exact ages ‘x’ and ‘x+n’, (nLx)
• nLxis the number of persons-years lived between exact ages x and
x+n.
• Each person surviving through the interval contributes n person-
years, while those who die during the interval then will contribute
fraction of years (nax= nax).
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…. Life Table
Where, n is number of years in the age interval the formula is;
nLx= n lx+n+ naxndx
The calculation of nLx needs assumption about nax that is for ax.
• The values that a0 (for age b/n 0 to 1) and a1(for age b/n 1 to 5) take
vary from country to country and according to the level of
mortality.
• For developing countries, where mortality is high, values of 0.3 for a0
,0.4 fora1 and 0.5 for all other age groups are normally used.
• Where mortality is low, 0.1 is a better figure fora0.
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…. Life Table
4. Total number of person years lived after exact age ‘x’(Tx)
• Tx is the total number of person-years lived after the beginning of
exact age x.
• It is thus simply the sum of column for the age groups greater than
or equal to the exact age x.
• That is:
Tx= Tx+n+ nLx
The main purpose of this function is in the calculation of the next
function that is the expectation of life.
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…. Life Table
5. Expectation of life at age ‘x’(ex)
✓ ex is the life expectancy, or the average number of years a person
aged x has to live.
✓ Since the total number of years left to be lived by lx people is Tx the
expectation of life is just:
ex = Tx/ lx
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
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…. Life Table
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End Of Chapter Three!!!!!!!!
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Quiz
1. Write the advantages and disadvantages of sample survey as
compared to census? (3 pts)
2. Define the two behavior of population in demography
(composition and change)? (3 pts)
3. Write their similarity and difference of enumeration and
registration method? (2 pts)
4. ---------- is one of the mode that used for data collection
mechanism that the registrars wait in their office for the
individuals to come and register a vital event. (2 pts)
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