Comparing Estimates of Life Expectancy at Birth Produced by UN Population Division for 201 Countries and Over Period 1950–2015 With External Data

Kirill F. Andreev , United Nations
Victor Gaigbe-Togbe, United Nations
Lina Bassarsky, United Nations Population Division
Kyaw-Kyaw Lay, United Nations Population Division

In order to assess quality, empirical basis and uncertainty of estimates of life expectancy at birth (LEB) for all countries in the world, we collected, organized, and documented all available external data on life expectancy at birth. In this report we present trends in life expectancy at birth produced in the 2017 revision of World Population Prospects (WPP) together with data from external sources. We discuss availability, timeliness, and possible explanations for the differences between UNPD estimates and the data from external sources, for selected countries.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 3. Population, Development, & the Environment; Data & Methods; Applied Demography