1957 - United Nations Statistics Division

against a rate of 0.8 for age group 5-9 years in the same
countries.
In rank order, the geographic areas involved are
arrayed similarly for both rates. Countries in Europe,
North America, and Oceania, together with Israel and
Japan, have the lowest rates for both age groups; Central
and South American countries, those in Asia, and the
Moslems in Algeria have the highest rates.
Among the 29 countries and territories for which two
separate rates are available,8 the 5-9 and 10-14 years death
rates have fallen in all but one area and, in this one
(Malta), there was a rise of only 0.1 in the rate, which
is not significant. Average annual declines were very
small in both rates because of their already extremely low
levels, but it may be noted that the largest declines recorded
were in: China (Taiwan), Japan, the Fiji Islands.
and among the Maoris of New Zealand.
Working age (15-64)
The death rate for each 5 years beginning with age 15
increases gradually from the minimum rate recorded at
age 10-14. In this span of 50 years, the death rate increases
twentyfold, with rates at age 60-64 ranging from a low of
just under 14 in the Ryukyu Islands and Norway to
highs of 38 among New Zealand's Maoris, 49 in British
Honduras, and 54 in Greenland.
With only one or two exceptions, rates through at least
age 49 have declined between 1948 and 1956. The extent
of the decline for these age groups has varied, depending
on the initial rate, but it has ranged from 44% for age
15-19 to 20 for age 45-49.
Beginning with age group 50-54 however, although
there is a net decrease of 16%, several increases are noted
in the 1956 rates as compared to those of the earlier
period. For Israel, France, and New Zealand (both Europeans
and Maoris) , the death rate at age 50-54 was higher
in 1956 than it was in 1948. The increases in the rate,
which were only of the magnitude of 0.1 per 1,000 perhaps
might be disregarded as insignificant, except that
for Israel and France, they persist into age 55-59, in which
age group Cyprus and West Germany also showed increases.
At age 60-64, West Germany, Northern Ireland,
and Scotland alone showed increases in the rate for both
sexes but, when rates for this age group were analysed
by sex, it appeared that ten out of 27 male death rates
increased, while only one female rate failed to decline.
This change in pattern appears to reflect a slowing of the
reduction in the male death rate at the older ages, which
would be consistent with the sex differentials observed.
Old age (65 and over)
There are increases and decreases in the rates at each
succeeding age after 64, until at age 75-79, ten areas out
of 29 recorded higher rates in 1956 than in 1948 and, at
85 and over, the rate increased for all but 5 countries.
Thus, at least for these 29 areas, it will be seen that the
conquest of mortality has been at the younger and middle
ages, and reduction of the old-age death rate still presents
a challenge. This confirms the evidence of the life tables,
where it may be seen that life expectancy has not in-
• See p. 10.
II
creased very much at the older ages. The gains since 1900
have been at the younger ages, and they have been accomplished
primarily through the control of infectious
diseases and, for females, by improvement in the management
of pregnancy and parturition.
CAUSE-OF-DEATH DIFFERENTIALS
A comprehensive analysis of declining mortality in
terms of causes of death is beyond the scope of this chapter.
All that can be done here is to point out the changes
which have been observed in the frequency of death from
selected causes during the years 1952-1956 and to draw
such inferences as may be warranted from these limited
data.
Statistics of deaths by cause are perhaps the least comparable
of any data relating to the characteristics of mortality.
The deficiencies of the basic data; the lack of
medical certification in some areas; the variation in
terminology, coding, and classifying despite an international
statistical classification and standard rules for
selection - all have a bearing on the lack of comparability
in the statistics, especially on an international basis.
These limitations have been set forth in Chapter II, beginning
on p. 32, they have also been explored in Chapter
II of the 1951 Demographic Yearbook, so they will
not be repeated here.
Despite their shortcomings, however, cause-of-death
statistics can be useful in explaining large differences in
mortality and hence also in elucidating marked declines.
Among the cause-of-death groups which may yield interesting
information are the Infective and parasitic diseases
- both acute and chronic - (Abbreviated List Nos. BI­
B17 9 ), Cancer or malignant neoplasms (B18), Heart
disease (B25-B28), Influenza and pneumonia (B30, B31) ,
Congenital malformations (B41), Accidents (BE47­
BE48), Motor vehicle accidents (BE47), and Suicide
(BE49) .
Infective and parasitic diseases
Acute infective diseases comprise the common communicable
illnesses of childhood plus smallpox, typhoid
fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, and the like; the
principal chronic infectious diseases are tuberculosis,
malaria, and syphilis. The role of infectious diseases has
decreased markedly as a factor in mortality. Effective
measures have almost halved the death rate from these
causes during the past few years, bringing it from levels
of over 500 per 100,000 popUlation in 1950 among the
coloured population of the Union of South Africa to 265
in 1955, and from over 400 in Nicaragua in 1950 to 255
in 1955. In all countries for which data are available,
rates from these causes have fallen and this has been true
throughout the age span.
Tuberculosis as a cause of death has registered notable
decreases, the range of the death rates in 1956 being just
over 5 per 100,000 in Denmark to 108 in Hong Kong,
whereas in 1952 it varied from II in Denmark to 320 in
the coloured (mixed) popUlation of the Union of South
Africa. This outstanding example of the virtual conquest
of a disease in many parts of the world has been brought
9 See Table 14, beginning on p. 362 for Detailed List numbers
included.