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Rectangularization revisited: Variability of age at death within human populations*

Rectangularization revisited: Variability of age at death within human populations* Rectangularization of human survival curves is associated with decreasing variability in the distribution of ages at death. This variability, as measured by the interquartile range of life table ages at death, has decreased from about 65 years to 15 years since 1751 in Sweden. Most of this decline occurred between the 1870s and the 1950s. Since then, variability in age at death has been nearly constant in Sweden, Japan, and the United States, defying predictions of a continuing rectangularization. The United States is characterized by a relatively high degree of variability, compared with both Sweden and Japan. We suggest that the historical compression of mortality may have had significant psychological and behavioral impacts. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Demography Duke University Press

Rectangularization revisited: Variability of age at death within human populations*

Wilmoth, John R.; Horiuchi, Shiro
Demography , Volume 36 (4) – Nov 1, 1999
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References (40)

Copyright
© Population Association of America 1999
ISSN
0070-3370
eISSN
1533-7790
DOI
10.2307/2648085
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Rectangularization of human survival curves is associated with decreasing variability in the distribution of ages at death. This variability, as measured by the interquartile range of life table ages at death, has decreased from about 65 years to 15 years since 1751 in Sweden. Most of this decline occurred between the 1870s and the 1950s. Since then, variability in age at death has been nearly constant in Sweden, Japan, and the United States, defying predictions of a continuing rectangularization. The United States is characterized by a relatively high degree of variability, compared with both Sweden and Japan. We suggest that the historical compression of mortality may have had significant psychological and behavioral impacts.

Journal

Demography – Duke University Press

Published: Nov 1, 1999

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