OLD AGE MORTALITY IN EASTERN AND SOUTH-EASTERN ASIA

We present data from the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects on old age mortality in terms of life expectancy at age 65, age-specific death rates for 13 countries/territories in the region (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam) from 1995 to 2010, and data from the WHO on cause-of-death for six countries (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand) from 1980 to 2010. While mortality transitions in these populations took place in different times and under different political systems, levels of socioeconomic development and living environment, changes in their age patterns and sex differentials in mortality have shown certain similarities: women witnessed a greater decline than men and young elders had a larger decline than the oldest-old. In all six countries examined for cause-of-death except Thailand, most of the increases in life expectancy at age 65 in both men and women were attributable to declines in mortality from stroke and heart diseases. The findings shed light on the relationship between epidemiological transition, changing age patterns of mortality and improving life expectancy in these populations.