Supervivència i patrons de mortalitat de la població catalana, 1960-2007

Abstract

This article describes and analyses mortality trends in Catalonia from the early 1960s, when life expectancy at birth was already similar to the Western European average, until today, as it observes one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The conceptual framework used to analyse the evolution of the mortality pattern of the Catalan population is the theory of epidemiological transition. This is to see how the recent mortality trends in Catalonia fit into the characteristics that define and characterise the final stages this transition. In order to achieve this goal, the mortality data series have been reconstructed by sex and age, relevant life tables have been produced and the effect that changes in the probability of dying has had on the life expectancy of the Catalans have been quantified. Moreover, for the period after 1980 causes of death have also been introduced in the analysis, allowing for a better understanding of how the mortality structure transformed and impacted on the increasing survival of the Catalans.