Proportional mortality of 50 years and above; a suggested indicator of the component health, including demographic conditions in the measurement of levels of living

Abstract

In 1954 the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Definition and Measurement of Standards and Levels of Living suggested that for the measurement of levels of living quantifiable or potentially quantifiable components should be considered separately. An attempt is made in the present paper to evolve a single, comprehensive numerical indicator to quantify the component "health, including demographic conditions".The use of an objective statistical technique as a guide in the selection of such an indicator is suggested. From the application of this technique, it is concluded that the percentage of deaths at the ages 50 years and over to total deaths (proportional mortality) affords a fairly suitable yardstick by which broad inter-country comparisons may be made. This indicator has the advantages of simplicity of calculation, comprehensiveness, availability of data, possibility of international comparability despite the varying quality of basic statistical information, sensitivity for the purpose of inter-country comparisons, and validity for studying levels and trends.