Altersbandbreiten

Altersbandbreiten is a statistical term used to describe the width of consecutive age intervals used to group individuals in demographic, health, and market analyses. Each band covers a contiguous range of ages, for example 0–4 years (width 5) or 5–9 years (width 5). The choice of band width affects the stability of estimates, the visibility of trends, and the comparability of results across datasets.

In practice, Altersbandbreiten enable the calculation of age-specific rates (such as fertility, mortality, disease incidence, or consumption) and support age standardization. Uniform, fixed-width bands facilitate comparison between studies and time periods, while irregular bands may be used to accommodate data sparsity or align with policy definitions, though they require careful interpretation.

Design considerations include ensuring non-overlapping and exhaustive coverage of the age range, and deciding whether to use open-ended final bands (for example 85+). Researchers may employ narrow bands (e.g., 5-year intervals) for detailed analyses or broader bands (10, 20-year intervals) for high-level summaries. It is essential to document the chosen bands, as different band structures can influence observed patterns, especially at older ages where data are less complete.

Practical examples commonly seen in censuses and surveys include 0–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–19, 20–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39, 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, 85+. Policy-oriented schemes might use broader bands such as 0–17, 18–64, and 65+. Altersbandbreiten thus frame how age-related phenomena are measured and interpreted.