Volume 2 - Article 2 | Pages –  

Mortality statistics for the oldest-old: an evaluation of Canadian data

By Robert Bourbeau, André Lebel

Abstract

The main purposes of this paper is to evaluate the quality of Canadian data among the oldest-old (80+) over the 1951-1995 period, and to compare estimations of Canadian probabilities of death based on the extinct generation method with those of other developed countries in order to ascertain whether Canada experiences a distinct low mortality profile. The evaluation of the data quality suggests that Canadian data are quite good up to the age of 100, and that the main problems concern the centenarians (overstatement of age at death and errors in census age declarations).
International comparisons on the basis of two mortality indicators for the 80-99 age-interval lead to the same conclusion: Canadian mortality is lower than in most European countries. The best match is still with the United States.

Author’s Affiliation

• Robert Bourbeau - Université de Montréal, Canada EMAIL
• André Lebel - Université de Montréal, Canada EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Insight on 'typical' longevity: An analysis of the modal lifespan by leading causes of death in Canada
Volume 35 - Article 17

Variance models of the last age interval and their impact on life expectancy at subnational scales
Volume 35 - Article 15

Changes in the age-at-death distribution in four low mortality countries: A nonparametric approach
Volume 25 - Article 19

Does the recent evolution of Canadian mortality agree with the epidemiologic transition theory?
Volume 18 - Article 19

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

Feminicide as a determinant of Mexican female life expectancy in the 21st century
Volume 53 - Article 24    | Keywords: female life expectancy, feminicide, life expectancy, Mexico, mortality, violence, women

Online obituaries as a complementary source of data for mortality in Canada
Volume 53 - Article 22    | Keywords: Canada, computational demography, digital traces, mortality, nowcasting, online obituaries, Quebec, web scraping

The impact of population heterogeneity on the age trajectory of neonatal mortality: A study of US births 2008–2014
Volume 53 - Article 7    | Keywords: frailty, heterogeneity, heterogeneity, infant mortality, mortality, mortality selection, mortality selection, neonatal mortality, United States of America

Trends in Indigenous fertility in Canada, 2001–2021
Volume 53 - Article 6    | Keywords: Canada, fertility decline, indigenous, low fertility

Can we estimate crisis death tolls by subtracting total population estimates? A critical review and appraisal
Volume 52 - Article 23    | Keywords: conflict demography, death tolls, demographic methods, historical demography, mortality, mortality crises, mortality estimates, population balance