On the Decomposition of Changes in Expectation of Life and Differentials in Life Expectancy

• Published in: Demography Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 265 - 276
• Main Author: Pollard, J. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Population Association of America 01-05-1988; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Age Factors; Age groups; Age specific mortality rates; Australia; Cause of Death; Causes of death; Changes; Child; Child, Preschool; Death & dying; Demographics; Demography; Differentials; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Life Expectancy; Life tables; Male; Mathematical Computing; Middle Aged; Mortality; Population dynamics; Prospective Studies; Rates; Statistical analysis; Studies; Trends; Australia
• ISSN: 0070-3370; 1533-7790
• DOI: 10.2307/2061293

The projection of mortality rates requires inter alia close examination of the mortality experience of a population over a long period of time and will usually also involve the analysis of mortality trends by cause of death. In two of the more important recent contributions, techniques were devised for explaining change in life expectancy in terms of mortality changes in particular age groups and by different causes of death. The approaches adopted by the authors differ, and the purpose of this article is to reconcile the two and tie the results in with those obtained by earlier writers. A new method for explaining the change in a life expectancy differential in terms of the observed changes in the mortality differentials and the observed change in overall mortality level is also described.