IAA Discussion Paper on Mortality by Causes of Death

The International Actuarial Association (IAA) is pleased to announce the publication of the discussion paper on Mortality by Causes of Death developed by its Mortality Forum (known prior to 2021 as the Mortality Working Group).

The study of mortality is a keystone of actuarial activity. Mortality studies identify and compare patterns and trends in historical data, which may change for many reasons, with the objective of projecting these into the future. This paper discusses mortality differences by causes of death (CODs). As mortality by each COD can exhibit different patterns from other CODs and from the mortality pattern of the total population, a detailed study of mortality by COD enables a deeper understanding of overall patterns, and can therefore guide actuaries and decision-makers more reliably.

Mainly using data from 1950 until recent years, mortality data by COD, country, gender and time was taken from two major sources that effectively adhere to the International Classification of Diseases Version 10 (ICD-10): the Human Cause-of-Death Database with data from 16 countries, and the Cause of Death section of the Human Mortality Database with data from 8 countries.

The paper attempts to provide a comprehensive observation of mortality by COD, drawn from these two databases. The CODs have been re-grouped in order to make the information from the two databases more consistent, and also to point out CODs that may be of interest in mortality projections. The paper discusses a number of topics for further development and consideration and gives some indication of the directions which could be taken.

The paper is available on the IAA website under PUBLICATIONS/PAPERS.

This activity advances the IAA’s mission and strategic objectives to provide key supranational institutions with actuarial expertise on issues of relevance in global forums and to promote the advancement of scientific knowledge and skills of the actuarial profession.

To learn more about the work of the IAA on this topic, contact the Director of Technical Activities at the IAA Secretariat.