Volume 1 - Article 3 | Pages –  

Longevity and month of birth: Evidence from Austria and Denmark

By Gabriele Doblhammer

Abstract

This article shows that in two European countries, Austria and Denmark, a person’s life span correlates with his or her month of birth. It presents evidence that this pattern is not the result of the seasonal distribution of death. It also shows that the seasonal pattern in longevity cannot be explained by the so-called birthday phenomenon, the alleged tendency of people to die shortly after their birthday. The article concludes with a discussion of possible social and biological mechanisms related to a person’s season of birth that might influence life expectancy.

Author's Affiliation

• Gabriele Doblhammer - Rostocker Zentrum zur Erforschung des Demografischen Wandels, Germany EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

A systematic literature review of studies analyzing the effect of sex, age, education, marital status, obesity, and smoking on health transitions
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Trends in educational mortality differentials in Austria between 1981/82 and 2001/2002: A study based on a linkage of census data and death certificates
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Seasonal mortality in Denmark: the role of sex and age
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