A note on the estimation of mortality and other population characteristics given deaths by age

Abstract

Various writers have attempted to estimate mortality when the only data are the number of deaths in age groups, by cumulating the deaths from the oldest group backwards to estimate the life table survivorship, implying the assumption of a stationary population. This note considers the more general treatment when the population is merely assumed stable. The possibility of utilising some additional data is considered, notably the annual rate of population increase and mention is made of the characteristics, other than mortality, that might beestimated.