As its name implies, life expectancy refers to the number of years a person can be expected to live. It can be measured at any age, but the most frequently used figures are life expectancy at birth, and usually at 65, but increasingly also at a higher age, often 80. If a child survives the first year of life, their life expectancy will increase, and many of those who live until 65 can expect to live beyond the average age of death.
The type of average used is the mean. The mean is calculated by adding up all the ages at which people died, and then dividing by the total number of deaths. This means that some people will die before the ‘average’ age, and some will live longer. If there are ‘spikes’ in this type of calculation, the average will be distorted. For example, in a period when many babies died at birth or in infancy the average age was depressed. With many people now living to age 100 or more, the average has risen.
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