MORTALITY TRENDS AND CAUSES OF DEATH - A COMPARISON BETWEEN EASTERN AND WESTERN-EUROPE, 1960S-1980S

Two distinctive mortality trends emerged in Europe between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s. Eastern European mortality rates remained constant for women over 40 and increased substantially for men over 35, while mortality in Western Europe decreased considerably above age 35 for women and men. I examine causes of deaths, using Pollard's method of decomposing changes in life expectancy into components specific to each age group and cause of death. Western European success in coping with circulatory system diseases at middle-to-old ages are by far the most important cause for the differing trends. Western Europe was also more successful in lowering mortality from malignant neoplasms and digestive and respiratory system diseases primarily at middle-to-old ages.