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Ash Wednesday 2023: More on Years of Life Lost
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Ash Wednesday 2023: More on Years of Life Lost

For you are dust, and to dust you shall return

In which I discuss the mortality measure years of life lost (YLL), aspects of this measure, what it is used for, and why I don’t like it. That said, I will be using YLL in addition to my preferred measures — crude death rate and age-adjusted death rate — in upcoming mortality posts.

STUMP - Meep on public finance, pensions, mortality and more is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.


Episode Links

Years of Life Lost: An Exploration, U.S., 2018-2022 (Provisional)

STUMP - Meep on public finance, pensions, mortality and more
Years of Life Lost: An Exploration, U.S., 2018-2022 (Provisional)
“Years of life lost”, like “period life expectancy”, is a metric I do not like. I will get into my complaints in a podcast episode later, though, so you don’t have to listen to my moralizing unless you really want to. I will provide detailed sources and methodology at the end of this post…
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Martin Chuzzlewit, Chapter 11

`Ecod, you may say what you like of my father, then, and so I give you leave,' said Jonas. `I think it's liquid aggravation that circulates through his veins, and not regular blood. How old should you think my father was, cousin?'

`Old, no doubt,' replied Miss Charity; `but a fine old gentleman.'

`A fine old gentleman!' repeated Jonas, giving the crown of his hat an angry knock. `Ah! It's time he was thinking of being drawn out a little finer too. Why, he's eighty!'

`Is he, indeed?' said the young lady.

`And ecod,' cried Jonas, `now he's gone so far without giving in, I don't see much to prevent his being ninety; no, nor even a hundred. Why, a man with any feeling ought to be ashamed of being eighty, let alone more. Where's his religion, I should like to know, when he goes flying in the face of the Bible like that? Three-score-and-ten's the mark, and no man with a conscience, and a proper sense of what's expected of him, has any business to live longer.'

Wikipedia: Years of potential life lost

The Carter Center: Guinea Worm Disease Reaches All-Time Low: Only 13* Human Cases Reported in 2022

Memento Mori

May 2021: Mortality Nuggets: Global Excess Deaths, Memento Mori, and Mortality News Round-up

STUMP - Meep on public finance, pensions, mortality and more
Mortality Nuggets: Global Excess Deaths, Memento Mori, and Mortality News Round-up
There have been 7m-13m excess deaths worldwide during the pandemic This originally comes from The Economist, with additional info on their methodology. Here is a video explainer…
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STUMP - Meep on public finance, pensions, mortality and more is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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STUMP - Meep on public finance, pensions, mortality and more
STUMP - Death and Taxes
Meep (Mary Pat Campbell) talks about mortality trends and/or public finance issues, usually with a connection to current events.