Mortality Crossover

Abstract

Mortality crossovers refer to a phenomenon where one population or population subgroup has higher age-specific death rates at younger ages but lower age-specific death rates at older ages than a comparison population or population subgroup. Mortality crossovers have been documented in the United States between whites, African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, and among developed and developing countries. Such mortality crossovers are attributed to mortality selection and population heterogeneity or to age misreporting at advanced ages.