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36b–HLT Life expectancy by income
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Definition
Rationale and notes for interpretation
Technical specifications
Data availability
Considerations for indicator quality and comparability
Responsibility to produce the data
Definition
The number of years a person would be expected to live, starting from birth (for life expectancy at birth) or at age 65 (for life expectancy at age 65), on the basis of the mortality statistics for a given observation period, typically a calendar year. Life expectancy will be calculated by income tercile.
Rationale and Notes for Interpretation
Life expectancy is a widely used indicator of the health of a population. In developed countries, life expectancy is higher for women than for men, and is related to socio–economic factors such as poverty and education levels. The highest life expectancies in the world in 1999 were in Japan : 84.1 for women, and 77.3 for men (United Nations, Human Development Report 2001).
It should be noted that life expectancy is an indicator of the quantity rather than quality of life. Increases in life expectancy that are associated with increased prevalence of serious debilitating disease may not be judged to be as worthwhile as the same increase in life expectancy where the added years are lived in good health.
Life expectancy is a standardized statistical indicator. It is not the number of years a particular newborn (or person currently age 65) can actually expect to live. The reason is that mortality rates only for the observation period (for example 1998) are used, and these are averages for the entire population. Historically, mortality rates in Canada have been falling, so that the mortality rates individuals are likely to face in future years as they age may be lower. Also, individuals’ circumstances vary so that, for example, if they had been a long time smoker, or had a family history of disease, their particular life expectancy would be less. This indicator should be presented by sex since the life expectancy of women and men differs so much.
Technical Specifications
Exclusions: Non-residents of Canada are excluded from the deaths and population estimates used for the life tables
Calculation: Life expectancy is calculated using mortality rates with Greville’s method for abridged life tables, using five-year age groupings of both population and mortality rate.
Based on previous work by Wilkins et al (2002) 1996 life tables by income terciles were constructed using an ecological approach. Average income for each enumeration area (EA) was calculated and then EAs were assigned to the bottom, middle, or highest income tercile. Deaths were coded to the EA based on postal codes. The life tables were then constructed using deaths assigned to each income tercile. The 1996 percentage of deaths in each income tercile will be applied to the 2000/2001 life tables.
Source: Statistics Canada, Vital Statistics files, Birth and Death Databases (2000/2001) and Demography Division (population estimates); ISQ.
References: The impact of estimation method and population adjustment on Canadian life table estimates. Ng E, Gentleman JF in Health Reports. 1995; 7(3): 15-22.; Community Health Indicators – Definitions and Methods (Statistics Canada web site; Statistics Canada Catalogue 84-214-XPE; Statistical Report on the Health of Canadians, ACPH, 1999.
Wilkins, Russell, Edward Ng, Jean-Marie Berthelot, and Francine Mayer. (2002). “Provincial Differences in Disability-Free Life Expectancy by Neighbourhood Income and Education in Canada, 1996”. Technical Report to the Performance Indicators Reporting Committee (PIRC) of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health.
Data Availability
- Life expectancy is reported to one decimal place.
- Life expectancy is reported for each sex separately, and for both sexes.
- Results from 2000/2001 mortality data are available using the 1996 EA terciles and 1996 death ratios by income.
- Life expectancy will be reported by income by sex only.
- Data available for Canada and the Provinces. Data are not available for the territories.
Considerations for Indicator Quality and Comparability
The 1996 percentage of deaths in each tercile is being applied to the 2000/2001 abridged life table (for example, if 40% of deaths occurred in the lowest income tercile in 1996 then 40% of deaths occurred in the lowest income tercile in 2000/2001).
Responsibility to Produce the Data
Statistics Canada
