Supervivència i patrons de mortalitat de la població catalana, 1960-2007

This article describes and analyses mortality trends in Catalonia from the
early 1960s, when life expectancy at birth was already similar to the Western
European average, until today, as it observes one of the highest life expectancies
in the world. The conceptual framework used to analyse the evolution of the
mortality pattern of the Catalan population is the theory of epidemiological
transition. This is to see how the recent mortality trends in Catalonia fit into
the characteristics that define and characterise the final stages this transition.
In order to achieve this goal, the mortality data series have been reconstructed
by sex and age, relevant life tables have been produced and the effect that
changes in the probability of dying has had on the life expectancy of the
Catalans have been quantified. Moreover, for the period after 1980 causes of
death have also been introduced in the analysis, allowing for a better understanding of how the mortality structure transformed and impacted on the
increasing survival of the Catalans.