The Age-of-Mortality Function as a New Indicator of Longevity Extension in High-Income Countries

Viorela Diaconu , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Nadine Ouellette, Université de Montréal
Shiro Horiuchi, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR)

This is the first study looking into the inverse of age-specific mortality, labeled the age-of-mortality (AoM) function, for providing possible indicators of longevity. Here, we analyze trends and differentials in AoM functions at various levels of high adult mortality over the period 1970-2011 in four low-mortality countries: Canada, France, Japan, and the US. Our preliminary results show a sustained increase in AoM functions for all levels of old-age mortality studied, but paces of change differed greatly. Moreover, we find that trends in these AoM functions are systematically different from those in life expectancy at age 65 and in adult modal age at death. Our findings suggest that the use of the AoM function, in addition to current conventional lifespan indicators, is likely to provide a deeper insight on the longevity extension in countries exhibiting the lowest levels of mortality since 1970.

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 Presented in Session 9. Formal Models and Methods for the Analysis of Mortality