Kuolleisuuskäyriä

Kuolleisuuskäyriä, known in English as mortality curves or survival curves, are graphical representations used in various fields, particularly in medicine, biology, and actuarial science, to illustrate the probability of an individual or group surviving over time. These curves typically plot the proportion of the population that has survived against a specific time interval.

In medical research, kuolleisuuskäyriä are fundamental for analyzing the effectiveness of treatments and understanding disease progression. They often display the percentage of patients alive at different points following a diagnosis or intervention. A steeper decline in the curve indicates a higher mortality rate, while a flatter curve suggests better survival prospects. The Kaplan-Meier estimator is a common statistical method used to construct these curves when data includes censored observations (individuals whose outcome is unknown at the end of the study).

Actuarial science extensively uses mortality curves to calculate life insurance premiums and pension liabilities. These curves, often derived from population-level data, help predict the likelihood of death at different ages. Similarly, in ecology, survival curves can depict the mortality rates of different species or populations under varying environmental conditions, aiding in conservation efforts and ecological modeling. The shape and position of a kuolleisuuskäyrä provide valuable insights into the factors influencing survival and the overall life course of a population.