THE mortality rate it is a demographic index obtained by the relationship between the death toll of a population and a certain time lapse, usually a year. The rate is often represented as the number of deaths per 1000 inhabitants.
There are several factors that can influence the mortality rate, including the physical condition of each inhabitant, climatological phenomena, malnutrition, diseases (such as heart attack, stroke, etc.) among others.
Several authors consider the mortality rate to be a non-significant index, taking into account that it does not include the age structure of the population.
The mortality rate is often presented in graphs or tables, with data on mortality in relation to different age groups, making it possible to obtain a mortality quotient. It is also possible to compare male and female mortality, and determine the average life expectancy for the inhabitant of a specific country.
A mortality rate above 30% is considered high, between 15% and 30% is moderate and it is considered low if the rate is less than 15%.
See also:meaning of morbidity.
Brazilian mortality rate
In 2011, according to the CIA World FactBook, the Brazilian mortality rate was 6.38 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.
In Brazil, both the birth rate and the mortality rate have fallen in recent decades. Since 1940, the mortality rate in Brazil has been going down thanks to technological advances, advances in medicine, better eating habits, etc. As the mortality rate has decreased, life expectancy increases consequently, and in 2012, life expectancy in Brazil was 74.6 years.
Child mortality rate
The infant mortality rate is the number of children who die in the first year of life, per thousand children born, during a one-year period in a given region.
Several authors consider the infant mortality rate to be a more suitable index than the rate of mortality, because with this rate it is possible to compare the sanitary and socioeconomic conditions of many countries.
Despite this, some infant mortality rates are calculated with the death of children under the age of five.
In Brazil, thanks to vaccination campaigns (and other factors), the infant mortality rate has drastically reduced. From 1990 to 2012, there was a 77% reduction.
See too:
- Definition of Birth Rate
- Definition of Vegetative Growth
- Definition of Fertility Rate
