F E D E R A L SECURITY A G E N C Y
UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
NATIONAL OFFICE OF VITAL STATISTICS
UNITED STATES LIFE TABLES
and
ACTUARIAL TABLES
1939-1 941
BY
THOMAS N. E. GREVILLE
Actuarial M a t h e m a t i c i a n /
Prepared under the supervision o/
HALBERT L. DUNN, M. D. .
CHIEF, NATIONAL OFFICE OF VITAL STATISTICS
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : I947
For role by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 45, D. C. - Price 31 .P5
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FIGURENU NUMBER OF SURVIVORS O U T OF 100,000 LIVEBIRTHS,
FROM LIFE TABLESFOR
RECENT SELECTED COUNTRIES
I. MALES
Age in vears
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FIGURENUMBER OF SURVIVORS O U T OF 100,000
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LIVEBIRTHS,
FROM LIFE TABLES
RECENT FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES
11. FE-MALES
Age in years
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20 . UNITED STATES LIFE TABLES AND ACTUARIAL TABLES
SOURCES OF LIFE TABLE VALUES FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Australia.-Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, . Allgemeine Deutsche Sterbetafel f u r die Jahre 1932 bis 1934,
Census of the Commonwealth' of Australia, 30th June, 1933, Statistik des Deubchen Reichs, Band 495,Heft 1, pp. 78-89,
Australian Life Tables, 1932-1934, pp. 5-6, 65-66, Canberra, 1938.
1937. Italy.-Galvani, Luigi, Tavole d i Mortalitd della Popolazione
Belgium.-Office Central de Statistique, Tables de Mortalit6 de Ilaliana 199U-1932. Annali di Statistica, Serie BII-vol. I,
la Population Belge, 1928-1968, Recensement GBnBral de la pp. 62-63, Luglio 1937.
Population, a u 31 DBcembre 1930, tome VII, pp. 51-54, Japan.-Bureau of Statistics, Imperial Cabinet, The Life Table
.57-60,Bruxelles. of the Japanese: No. 6 (1986-1930); Tokyo, 1936.
British India.-Census Commissioner for India, Census of India, Mexico.-Bust.amante, Miguel E., and Aldama C., Alvam,
1931, vol. I-India, Part J Report, pp. 173-174, Manager of Tablas de Vida de 10s Habitantes de 10s Estados Unidos Mezi-
Publications, Delhi, 1933. canos, Revista del Instituto de Salubridad y Enfermedades
Canada.-Keyfitz, Nathan, Census Monograph No. 13, Canadian Tmpicales, vol. I, NGm. 2, pp. 131-150, Mayo de 1940.
Life Tables, 1931, pp. 36-39, dominion Bureau of Statistics, New Zealand.-Census and Statistics Department, Dominion of
Ottawa, 1937. Grant, Milton D., Canadian Life Tables From New Zealand, Population Census, 1936, Appendix D, Life
Census Returns, Tqmsactions, Actuarial Society of America, Tables, pp. 7-8, Wellington, 1944.
vol. 35, Part 1, No. 91,pp. 28-29, May 1934. Scotland.-Supplement to the Seventy-eighth Annual Report of
the Registrar-General for Scotland, Part I.-Life Tables,
Denmark.-Statistiske Department, Statistisk Aarbog, 1940, pp. 35-40,H . M. Stationery Office, Edinbur~h,1934.
p. 27, Klbbenhavn, 1940. Sweden.-Statistiska Centralbyrin, Statistisk Arsbok for Suerige,
England and Wales.-The Registrar-General's Decennial Supple- 1941,p. 66,Stockholm, 1941.
ment, England and Wales, 1931, Part I , Life Tables, pp. 48-49, Switzerland.-Eidgenossisches Statistisches Amt, Neue Schwei-
. H. M. Stationery Office, London, 1936. - zerische Sterbetafeln, Beitrage zur Schweizerischen Statist.ik,
- France.-Statistique GdnBrale de la France, Tables de MortalitC Heft 10,pp. 41,51, 54, Bern, 1942.
pour la Population de la France, 1928-1939, pp. 624-625. Union of South Africa.-Census and Statiskx Office, Sizlh
Bulletin de la Statistique GBn6rale de la France, tome XXV, Census of the Population of the Union of South Africa, Enu-
Fascicule 4,pp. 617-628, Juillet-Septembre, 1936. merated 6th May, 1936, vol. X I , South African Life Tables,
Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.-Statistisches R&chsamt, pp. 1-8, Pretoria, 1939.
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PART I1
tIFE TABLES
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This. part contains the principal life tables presented Columns 6 and 6--Stationary population (Lzand
in this volume. Life tables are giqen for whites, T,).-Suppose that a group of 100,000 individuals like
Negroes, and other-races, separately by sex, and for that assumed in columns 3 and 4 is born every year, each
both sexes combined, and also for the total population such group being iubject throughout life to b e rates of
- and for total males and total females. This makes mortality shown in column 2. If there were no migra-
altogether 12 life tables. I n addition, table 13 gives, tion and if the births were evenly distributed over the
for the sa.me 12 classes and combinations of classes, calendar year, the survivors of these births would make
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life table palues for certain subdivisions of the first up what is called a stationary population because in
year of life. A4 these tables are based on the 1940 such a population the number of persons living in any
census of population and the deaths of t.he 3-year given age group would never change. When an indi-
period 1939-1941. vidual left the group, either by death or by growing older
and entering the next higher age group, his place would
Explanation of the columns of the life table immediately be taken by someone entering from the
. Both the descriptive titles and the conventional next loyer age group. Thus, a census taken at any
actuarial symbols appear a t the head of the columns in time in such a stationary community would always
e.ach of the tables. The description which follows gives show the same total population and the same numerical
a more detailed explanation of each column of the life distribution of that population among the various ages.
table, and may be helpful to some readers. In such a stationary population, column 3 shows the
, Column 1-Year of age (zto x+ l).-The year of age, number of persons who, each year, reach the birthday
shown in column 1, is the interval between two succes- indicated in column 1 while column 4 shows the num-
sive birthdays. For instance, “4-5” indicates the in- ber who die each year in the indicated age interval.
terval between the fourth birthday and the fifth, in Column 5 shows the number of persons in the sta-
other words, the fifth year of life. tionary population in the indicated age interval. For
Column 2-Mortality rate (1,000 p,).-This colnmn example, the figure given for white males in the year of
shows the number of deaths within 1 year after the life 4 5 4 6 is 83,962. This means that in a stationary
birthday indicated, among .1,000 persons alive on that population of white males supported by 100,000 annual
birthday. For example, the rate of mortality a.t age births and subject always to the rates of mortality
45 for white males (table 5) is 7.66 per 1,000. In other shown in column 2 , a \census taken on any date would
words, during 1939-1941, 7.66 out of every 1,000 white show 83,962 persons between 45 and 46 years old.
males who were alive on their forty-fifth birthday Column 6 shows the total number of persons in the
. died before reaching age 46. The rates of morta.lity stationary population (column 5) in the indicated age
form the basis of the life table, all the other columns interval and all subsequent age intervals. For example,
being derived from them. in the stationary population of white males referred to
Column .!&-Number living (12) .-This column shows in the last illustration, column 6 shows that there would
the number of persons who would survive to each age be at any given moment a total of 2,180,567 persons
out of a cohort of 100,000 live births, subject throughout who have passed their forty-fifth birthday. The popu-
life to the rates-of mortality shown in column 2. Thus, lation at all ages 0 and above (in other words, the total
table 5 shows that out of 100,000 white male babies population of the stationary community) would be
born alive, 95,188 will complete t.he first year of life 6,281,188.
and enter the second; 94,724 will begin the third year; Column 7’-Average future lifetime (d,) .-The average
92,098 will reach age 21; and 33,404 will live to age 75. future lifetime (also called the complete expectation of
Column &-Number dying (d,) .--This column shows life) at any age is the average number of years remain:
the number dying in each successive year of age out of ing to be lived by those surviving to that age, on the
100,000 live births. Out of 100,000 white males born basis of a given set of mortality rates. The values in
alive (table 5), 4,812 die in the first year of life, 464 in column 5 can also be interpreted in terms of a single life
- the second year, 195 in the twenty-first year, and 2,762 table cohort, without introducing the concept of the
in the seventyififth year. Each figure in column 4 is the stationary population. From this point of view, each
difference between two successive figures in column 3. figurein column 5 represents the total time (in years)
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