Table Of Mortality

Updated: 23 April 2026

What Does Table Of Mortality Mean?

A mortality table, also referred to as an actuarial table or life table, is a chart that displays the death rate for a specified interval within a predetermined population. This table provides essential data for the life insurance industry, with statistics typically expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 individuals.

Insuranceopedia Explains Table Of Mortality

Mortality tables are constructed based on the physical characteristics of a specific population segment, such as gender and age, to assess the statistical likelihood of death within that group. These tables are often tailored separately for men and women and typically cover ages from birth to 100 years. This is why age and sex are two of the biggest factors that determine your life insurance premium, since a younger applicant will sit in a lower mortality bracket than an older one on the same table.

However, mortality tables have certain limitations in terms of accuracy, as they do not account for various other important variables that can influence an individual’s life expectancy. As a result, individuals seeking insurance are encouraged to discuss their unique risk factors to avoid unnecessary increases in their premiums. Two people of the same age can get very different quotes once health history and lifestyle are factored in, which is part of why the average cost of life insurance varies so widely from one applicant to the next. Comparing quotes from the best life insurance companies is the easiest way to see how different insurers read the same risk.

Synonyms


Actuarial Table Life Table Morbidity Table