Data Resource Profile: Human Life Table Database (HLD)

Ainhoa Alustiza , Max-Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Magali Barbieri, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
France Meslé, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Dmitri A. Jdanov, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany) / National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russia)

Life tables are the oldest and most important tool in demography and probably the most renowned and recognized tool within non-demographers. They has become progressively crucial for scientists of numerous and divers research fields to understand the dramatic decrease of mortality and its consequences: sociologists, epidemiologists, public health researchers, biologists, mathematics, geographers, geologists, etc. In this context, the Human Life-table Database (HLD) fulfills a research space that answers to these demands, offering a compilation of period life tables that aims to cover all the population areas and time periods for which exist official publications from national statistical offices or significant researchers. Continuously growing since its creation in 2002, the HLD includes currently around 9000 period life tables for 133 countries or population areas worldwide, covering a maximum 268 year time range that varies between 1751 and 2019. Besides national population life tables, it offers data for other sub-populations whenever they are available (regions, settlements, ethnicities and socio-economic status). The HLD tables contain all the functions of the standard life tables, in addition to the basic individual life-identifying codes or indicators. It also includes the appropriate citation of the source and the original publication life table in pdf format. Data can be access freely without registration, and files can be downloaded in text format – when downloading individual tables- and in (zipped) csv files when users want to access all HLD available tables.

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 Presented in Session P3. Poster Session Migration, Economics, Environment, Methods, History and Policy