How Change in Age-Specific Mortality Affects Life Expectancy

Vaupel, J.W. (1985). How Change in Age-Specific Mortality Affects Life Expectancy. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-85-017

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Abstract

At current mortality rates, life expectancy is most responsive to change in mortality rates at older ages. Mathematical formulas that describe the linkage between change in age-specific mortality rates and change in life expectancy reveal why. These formulas also shed light on how past progress against mortality has been translated into increases in life expectancy--and on the impact that future progress is likely to have. Furthermore, the mathematics can be adapted to study the effect of mortality change in heterogeneous populations in which those who die at some age would, if saved, have a different life expectancy than those who live.

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