Journal Article

Sensitivity of model-based human mortality measures to exclusion of the Makeham or the frailty parameter

Missov, T. I., Németh, L.
Genus, 71:2-3, 113–135 (2015)

Abstract

Adult human mortality is well captured by a gamma-Gompertz-Makeham model that accounts for the exponential increase in individual hazards, the existence of age-independent mortality component, and unobserved heterogeneity in the study population. The article studies the impact of neglecting statistically significant extrinsic mortality or frailty on human mortality measures: aggregate indicators like life expectancy, life disparity, entropy, and the Gini coefficient are little affected while the rates of individual and population aging, and the modal age at death can be substantially distorted.
Keywords: estimates, mathematical demography, mathematical models, mortality, mortality measurement
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.