1957 - United Nations Statistics Division

which data are available. This is not to say that male
mortality is less favourable at every age, but that the
crude male death rate is higher than the female by as
much as 37% in the United States, 34% in Canada, 33%
in Argentina, and 25% in Australia.
Table E presents ratios of the male death rate to that
for females, in 33 countries, during the latest year available
and an earlier year.
Table E. Ratio of male to female death rates: 33 countries,
circa 1948 and 1956
(Male rate per 100 female rate.)
Country
Argentina ••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•••.••••.
Australia •.•••••••••••••••.•.•.•••••••••.•••
Austria •••.•.•••••••••••••.•.•••••.•••••.•••
Belgium ••.•••••••••.•••••••••••••.•.•••.•••
Berlin, West•..•••••.•••••••.•••.•.•••••••..
Canada••••••••••.•••••.••••••.•.••••.•••••
China, Taiwan .
Cook Islands••••••.•••.•.•.•••••••••••••..••
Cyprus•••••••••••••••••••••••.•.••••..•••••
Denmark•.•••••••••••••••••..••••.•.•••••••
Dominica..•...........................•....
England and Wales.•••.•.•..•••.•.••••••••••
Fiji Islands•••••••••••••••••••.••••••.••.•••.
Finland ••••••.•••••.•.•••••••.•.•••••••••••
France•••.•••••.•••••.•.•••••••...•••••••••
Germany, East••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•
Germany, West••••••••..•.•••••••.•••••••.•
Greece••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••
Hungary•••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••
Israel (Jewish) •••••••••••.•••••••••..••••.•.•
Japan•••••.•.•.••••••••.••••••••••••••••.•
Malta and Gozo '•...•••
Netherlands•••••••••••••••.•••..••••••.•••••
New Zealand (European)••••.•••••••••.•.•••••
New Zealand (Maoril•••••••••••••••••.•.•••••
Northern Ireland•••••••.•••••••••••••••••.•.•
Norway••••••••.•••••••••••••••••.••.••••••
Portugal•••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••
St. Lucia ••••••••••.•.•••••••••••••••••.•••.•
Scotland •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•
Sweden••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•
Trinidad and Tobago•••••••.•••••••.•.•••••••
United States•.•••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••
Ratio M/F
Circa Circa
1948 1956
127
124
121
116
117
125
103
85
115
107
106
114
114
124
116
122
125
110
115
107
112
113
111
125
109
108
103
111
99
108
103
109
133
133
125
119
118
118
134
112
87
117
112
104
115
121
115
112
119
120
108
115
114
115
119
114
124
115
111
105
109
110
115
108
116
137
According to Table E, the only area showing total male
mortality more favourable than female is the Cook Islands,
where the MjF ratio is 87. This may be an indication
of a higher incidence of maternal mortality in that
area. For the rest of the 33 countries, MjF ratios range
from 105 in Norway to 137 in the United States. No
appreciable geographic pattern can be observed among
the ratios between these two extremes: North America
and one country in South America have indices exceeding
130, Australia and New Zealand's Europeans have
the next highest ratios, while values for European and
Asian countries are scattered throughout the range.
It also appears that the gap between the rate for the
two sexes is perhaps widening. In 1948, the ratios ranged
from 85 to 133; in 1956, their range was from 87 to 137.
However, of the 33 areas for which rates are available, 23
showed a higher MjF ratio in 1956 than they did around
1948.
The more favourable declines in female mortality rates
1
are also exemplified in the life-table values for longevity.
The median expectation of life at birth for females in
21 countries has risen 20 years, or from 49 around 1900
to 69 around 1950. Corresponding mean future lifetime
for males has risen only 18 years. Moreover, only two
countries record values of 70 years or more for male
expectation of life at birth in a current year, while 11
have values of this level for females.
In comparing years of life gained over the past 50 years
through the decreased risk of death, it can be seen from
Table D, p. 5, that for the period around 1900 female
life expectancy values at birth exceeded the corresponding
male values in every country but Northern Ireland,
where the two were equal. The aggregate excess years of
life was 51 for the 21 countries combined. For the period
around 1950, the excess of years of future lifetime for
females amounted to 82. Thus, the females appear to be
progressing faster than the males toward even greater
advantages in length of life than they now enjoy.
Because of the startling difference in and the apparent
widening of the gap between male and female death
rates, interest has centred recently on research to isolate
the factors involved. Although no positive proof is available,
it begins to appear that biologic factors may be more
important than environmental or social factors. Whatever
the causes, it would appear desirable to seek ways
of counteracting this imbalance in the mortality pattern.
AGE DIFFERENTIALS
In considering the variations in mortality declines at
different ages, it would be logical to begin with foetal
deaths, which constitute the first "age at death" of the
human organism. However, statistics on total foetal
mortality are available for only 16 areas. Even these must
be considered markedly inaccurate because of underregistration.
This is so because until 1950, there was no
incentive to register all foetal deaths and registration is
still not universally compulsory for foetal deaths below
a minimum gestational age. 4 Moreover, gestational age
is often not reported, with the result that statistics by
this characteristic show a large proportion of "unknowns".
Because of these deficiencies, statistics of foetal
deaths of all gestational ages so far have not yet become
useful for comparative purposes, and one is forced to
examine instead statistics for selected deaths, namely
those which occurred after at least 28 weeks' gestation.
These deaths are known as "late foetal deaths" or more
commonly "stillbirths".
4 See Handbook of Vital Statistics Methods, op. cit., p. 59-60, and
also p. 37 of this Yearbook.
6 See p. 36.
Late foetal deaths (28 weeks' or more gestation)
Ignoring for the moment the admitted lack of strict
comparability,5 one may note among the 124 countries for
which data are available that late foetal-death ratios (the
number of late foetal deaths per 1,000 live births) vary
from 9.2 per 1,000 live births in El Salvador to 71.8 in
Mauritius. EI Salvador has been chosen as the lower limit
of the array despite the fact that nine other areas show
lower late foetal-death ratios. Ratios for these omitted