Though around 1980 data o mortality were available only for a little over one-third of the world population, it is possible to estimate approximate levels of mortality for various countries of the world on the basis of data collected Sample Surveys.

While in 1950-55, the crude death for the whole world was 18.8 per thousand population, in 1970-75 it ha decreased to 12.8 in 1970-75, to 10.5 in 1980-85, 9.8 in 1985-9( Similarly, the average expectation of life at birth for both the sexed rose from 46.7 years in 1950-55 to 55.2 years in 1970-75 and 63. y6ars in 1985-90.

During the fifteen-year period 1970-75 to 198E 90, while the crude death rate in the less developed region registered a decline of 3.0 points, the more developed regions actual experienced an increase in the crude death rate to 0.6 points. Expectation of life at birth registered an increase in bottle the regions.

It may therefore be concluded that, during the past 21 years, there has generally been a decline in the crude death ratio an increase in the average expectation of life at birth, indicating an improvement in the mortality conditions of the world.

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Striking mortality differences between the developed and developing regions may also be observed. For 1950 55, the crude death rates for the more developed and the less developed regions were 10.1 and 23.3 per thousand population respectively.

In 1970-75, they were 9.2 and 14.3 per thousand populations respective. It is worth noting that, in the less developed regions; there has been a decrease of 9.0 points (38.63 per cent) in the crude death rate during a period of twenty years, and a further decrease of 5.2 points (36.4 per cent) in next twenty years.

However, in the more developed regions this decrease has been of only 0.9 points (9 per cent) during 1950-55 to 1970-75 and the crude death has increased by 0.9 points during 1970-75 to 1990-95. A similar observation may be made with respect to the average expectation of life at birth for both the regions.

The reason for this difference is that the mortality conditions of the more developed regions had already considerably improved by 1950-55, and therefore there was not much scope for further improvement, while the scope for improvement in mortality conditions was greater in the less developed.

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Africa had the highest crude death rate in the world, that is per thousand population, while East Asia had the lowest, that 7.2 per thousand population. The crude death rates differed market in Africa and Oceania.

These rates for East Asia, however, are v different from those of other regions of Asia. In 1990, the low average expectation of life at birth was recorded for Africa years). During the same period, the highest average expectation life at birth was recorded for Australia and New Zealand of Oceania region (77.3 years).

It may also be pointed out that 1990-95, though the crude death rates, in general, were lower Latin America (6.8 per thousand population) than that for Euro (11.2 per thousand population), the average expectation of life birth was higher for Europe (72.9 years) than for Latin Amery (68.9 years).