The Human Mortality Database prioritizes uniformity in methods and is limited to specific countries and periods where high-quality mortality data is available nationally.

For data points before 1950, we use HMD data.

This data is compiled from two sources: the Human Mortality Database (HMD) 4 and the United Nations World Population Prospects Database (UN WPP).

In poorer countries, where death registration data is often lacking, the underlying data often comes from national household surveys, which are then used to estimate mortality rates and life expectancy.

The UN WPP estimates life expectancy in various countries using data on mortality rates.

(1999) 6 for Finland and data from the Estonian Interuniversity Population Research Centre for Estonia. (1997) 5 for life expectancy in England in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries the ONS for Australia Kannisto et al. In some cases, regional databases are used, such as Wrigley et al. (2015) 2 compiles data from various sources: the OECD.Stat database library, the United Nations World Population Prospects Database (UN WPP), the Human Mortality Database (HMD), the Montevideo-Oxford Latin American Economic History Database (MOxLAD), and Gapminder. Less historical data is available from the pre-health transition period in countries – this is especially the case for Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the former Soviet Union.

Riley (2005) 3 compiles life expectancy estimates from hundreds of historical sources and calculates the average of estimates that met an acceptable quality threshold, such as having estimates for entire nations or regions.For pre-1950 data on world regions and the world as a whole, we use estimates from Riley (2005). For data points before 1950, we use Human Mortality Database data 4 combined with Zijdeman (2015).

This data is compiled from three sources: the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (UN WPP), Zijdeman et al.For a given year, it represents the average lifespan for a hypothetical group of people, if they experienced the same age-specific death rates throughout their whole lives as the age-specific death rates seen in that particular year.Period life expectancy is a metric that summarizes death rates across all age groups in one particular year.

Highest life expectancy