Life tables
Introduction
Life tables (or mortality tables or actuarial tables) are tables that indicate the probability that a person in a given population at an certain age will die before their next birthday. These tables are used in several fields, including epidemiology, biology and actuarial science (insurance) to calculate a number of other statistics, including:[1]
- the probability of surviving any particular year of age;
- remaining life expectancy for people at different ages;
- the proportion of the original birth cohort still alive; and
- estimates of a cohort's longevity characteristics.
Life tables and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)
The DALY calculation tool designed for use in association with the INTARESE methodology takes life tables into account when calculating years of life lost (YLL).