A Life Table is a statistical tool used to summarize the mortality and survival rates of a population. It provides information about the likelihood of death at various ages, helping researchers and demographers understand the life expectancy and health trends within a specific group. Life tables are commonly used in fields like public health, insurance, and ecology.
Typically, a life table includes columns that show the number of individuals alive at the start of each age interval, the number of deaths, and the probability of dying. This data can be crucial for planning resources and policies related to health care, social services, and population studies, making it an essential component in the study of demography and population health.