Sterftetafels

Sterftetafels, also known as mortality tables or life tables, are statistical tools used in demography and actuarial science to represent the mortality experience of a population. They provide a detailed breakdown of death rates and life expectancies for different age groups. A typical sterftetafel starts with a hypothetical cohort of individuals, usually 100,000 births, and tracks how many are expected to survive to each subsequent age.

The key components of a sterftetafel include probabilities of death at each age, the number of survivors at each age, the number of deaths within each age interval, and life expectancy at birth and at subsequent ages. These tables are constructed based on historical mortality data, which is collected through vital statistics registrations.

Sterftetafels are crucial for various applications. In insurance, they are used to calculate premiums for life insurance policies and to assess the solvency of insurance companies. Governments and policymakers use them to plan for social security and pension systems, as well as to understand population aging trends. Demographers employ them to study patterns of mortality, identify factors influencing life expectancy, and make population projections.

The construction and interpretation of sterftetafels require careful consideration of the underlying data and methodologies. Different populations will exhibit different mortality patterns, and tables are usually specific to a particular country, region, or even a defined group within a population. Regular updates are necessary to reflect changes in life expectancy and mortality rates due to factors like advancements in healthcare, public health initiatives, and lifestyle changes.