Life table
Life table
A Life table (pronounced: /ˈlaɪf ˈteɪbəl/), also known as a mortality table or actuarial table, is a mathematical tool used in demography, actuarial science, health care, and life insurance to quantify the rates of mortality for a population.
Etymology
The term "Life table" originates from the Latin words "vita" meaning life and "tabula" meaning table. It was first used in the 17th century by John Graunt, a London merchant who is often credited as the originator of the life table.
Definition
A life table is a statistical model that represents the probabilities of survival and death for individuals of different ages within a given population. It is based on the assumption that the rates of mortality are constant over time and across different age groups. The table typically includes columns for age, the number of individuals alive at the start of each age interval, the number of deaths during each interval, and the probability of surviving to the next age interval.
Related Terms
- Survival analysis: A branch of statistics that deals with the analysis of time-to-event data, often referred to as survival data.
- Mortality rate: A measure of the number of deaths in a particular population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit of time.
- Actuarial science: The discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in insurance, finance, and other industries and professions.
- Demography: The statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Usage
Life tables are used in a variety of fields, including demography, actuarial science, health care, and life insurance. They are used to calculate life expectancy, to estimate survival rates for different age groups, and to predict future population trends. In the field of life insurance, life tables are used to determine the premiums that individuals should pay for life insurance policies.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Life table
- Wikipedia's article - Life table
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