Mortality

Mortality refers to deaths that occur in a population. Death is the permanent disappearance of all
evidence of life at any time after birth has taken place. A death can occur only after a live birth.
It is notable that the definition of death excludes deaths prior to live births. Mortality is linked to
many factors, such as, age, sex, marital status, occupation, education, etc.

Crude Death Rate (CDR)

It is the number of deaths per 1,000 midyear population in a given year. This rate shows the
frequency of a class of events throughout the entire population, without regard to any of the
various smaller groupings that are sometimes used for better observation.

D
CDR= P ×K
Where,
D is the total number of deaths during a year.
P is the total population at the middle of the year, and
K is 1,000.

Crude death rate for a place of urban area of Nepal can be computed as follows:
Given,
Number of deaths in 2001 = 22,345
Midyear population in 2001 = 2,862,650
Crude death rate, CDR=?

D
×K
P
Now, CDR =
22,345
×1,000
= 2,862,650
= 7.81 deaths per thousand midyear population
Age-specific Death Rate (ASDR)
It is defined as the number of deaths in a given age group during a year per 1,000 midyear
population of the same age group. The formula for Age Specific Death Rate, ASDRa is
ASDRa=nDx/nPx*1,000

Where, nDx is the number of deaths in the age group x during a year, and nPx is the midyear
population in the same age group.

Calculation of Age Specific Death Rate (ASDR)

Age Number of Deaths Population ASDRa
Males Females Males Females Males Females
0-4 513 345 151086 145020 3.40 2.38
5-14 124 76 323055 309044 0.38 0.25
15-24 480 164 284975 275333 1.68 0.60
25-44 740 456 394120 384235 1.88 1.19
45-64 3525 2014 289798 293195 12.16 6.87
65+ 8213 8014 118990 160515 69.02 49.93

Infant Mortality Rate

Infant mortality rate is defined as the number of infant deaths under one year of age per thousand
live births. Symbolically, formula for infant death rate is as follows:
D0
×K
Infant Mortality Rate, IMR = B
Where,
D0 is number of deaths under one year of age in a year;
B represents live births in the same year; and
K is a constant, generally expressed as 1,000.

Child Mortality Rate, CMR

Child mortality rate is defined as the number of deaths per thousand population aged 1-4 years.
CMR=D1-4/P1-4*1,000
Where,
D1-4 is number of deaths among population aged 1-4 years, and
P1-4 is number of population aged 1-4 years.

Under five Mortality Rate

It is defined as the number of deaths per thousand population aged 0-4 years.
Under five Mortality Rate=D0-4/P0-4*1,000
Where,
D0-4 is number of deaths among population aged 0-4 years, and
P0-4 is number of population aged 0-4 years.

Mortality Rates under One Year of Age

Because of the very high level of mortality in the first days and weeks of life and the difference
in the causes accounting for infant deaths at the earlier and later ages of infancy, the infant
mortality rate may be usually be broken up into a rate covering the first month or so and a rate
for the remainder of the year. The rate for the first period is called the neonatal mortality rate and
the rate for the second period is called the post-neonatal mortality. The neonatal mortality rate is
defined as the number of deaths of infants under 4 weeks (28 days) or under 1 month of age
during a year per 1,000 live births. Formula for this is:

D ∠ 1 month
×K
Neonatal Mortality Rate = B
Where,
D ∠ 1 month indicates number of deaths of infants under 4 weeks of age
(28 days) in a year;
B represents number of live births in the same year; and
K is a constant, generally expressed as 1,000.
Likewise, the postneonatal mortality rate is defined as the number of infant deaths at 4 through
51 weeks of age or 1 through 11 months of age in a year per 1,000 live births during the same
year. Formula for this is:
D 1−11 months
×K
Postneonatal mortality rate = B

Where,
D1-11 months represents number of deaths at 1 through 11 months of age in a year.
B indicates number of live births in the same year.
K is a constant, expressed as 1,000.

Perinatal Mortality Rate is defined as the number of deaths per thousand neonatal plus fetus
death.
LFD + NN
×1,000
LFD + LB
Perinatal Mortality Rate =
perinatal deaths per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths of 28 or more weeks gestation

Maternal Mortality Ratio and Rate

The maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die as a result of complications of
pregnancy or childbearing in a given year per 100,000 live births in the same year. It is notable
that deaths due to complications spontaneous or induced abortions are included. Formula for this
is:

NMD
×K
Maternal Mortality Ratio, MMR = B
Where,
NMD indicates the number of maternal deaths due to complications of spontaneous or
induced abortions in a year;
B is the number of live births in the same year; and
 K is a constant, generally expressed as 100,000.

Maternal mortality rate is also used if we specify the denominator by using the number of
women of childbearing age instead of live births in the population. According to this concept,
NMD
f
Maternal Mortality Rate= P15−49 ×K

Where,
NMD indicates the number of maternal deaths due to complications of spontaneous or
induced abortions in a year;
f
P 15−49 is the number of women aged 15-49 years; and
K is a constant, generally expressed as 1,000 or 100,000.

Crude Rate of Natural Increase

This is the excess of births over deaths per thousand populations in a given year. This can be
expressed as
=B-D/P*1,000
Where, B is number of births and D is number of deaths. P is total population.

Measure Numerator Denominator Unit

Crude death Total number of deaths Mid-year deaths per
rate during a given time year population 100,000
population.
Age-Specific Number of deaths in a given Mid-year per 100,000
age group during a year per
Death Rate population specific age year 
1,000 midyear population of
the same age group.
Child Number of deaths per Mid-Year per 1,000 live
Mortality Rate thousand population aged 1- Population births
4 years.

Under 5 Number of deaths per Mid-year per 100,000 live

Mortality Rate thousand population aged 0- Population births
4 years.
 Neonatal Number of deaths Number of live deaths per 1000
mortality rate among children births during the live births
< 28 days of age during same time year
a given time year
Postneonatal Number of deaths Number of live per 100,000 live
mortality rate among children 28–364 births during the births
days of age during a same time year
given time year
Infant Number of deaths Number of live deaths per 1000
mortality rate among children births during the live births
< 1 year of age during a same time year
given time year
Maternal Number of deaths Number of live Deaths per
mortality ratio assigned to pregnancy- births during the 100,000 live
related causes during a same time year births
given time year
Maternal number of women who die Mid-year Deaths per
Mortality Rate as a result of complications population 100,000
of pregnancy or childbearing
in a given year per 100,000 population
Population in the same year.
Perinatal Number of deaths per Fetal Deaths of 28 or deaths per 1,000 live
thousand neonatal plus fetus more weeks gestation births and fetal
Mortality Rate
death of 28 or more weeks deaths of 28 or more
gestation weeks gestation

Logistic Growth of Population;

Exponential growth is possible only when infinite natural resources are available; this is
not the case in the real world. Charles Darwin recognized this fact in his description of
the “struggle for existence,” which states that individuals will compete (with members
of their own or other species ) for limited resources. The successful ones will survive to
pass on their own characteristics and traits (which we know now are transferred by
genes) to the next generation at a greater rate: a process known as natural selection.
To model the reality of limited resources, population ecologists developed the logistic
growth model.

Carrying Capacity and the Logistic Model

In the real world, with its limited resources, exponential growth cannot continue
indefinitely. Exponential growth may occur in environments where there are few
individuals and plentiful resources, but when the number of individuals becomes large
enough, resources will be depleted, slowing the growth rate. Eventually, the growth
rate will plateau or level off. This population size, which represents the maximum
population size that a particular environment can support, is called the carrying
capacity, or KK.

The formula we use to calculate logistic growth adds the carrying capacity as a moderating force
in the growth rate. The expression “K – N” is indicative of how many individuals may be added
to a population at a given stage, and “K – N” divided by “K” is the fraction of the carrying
capacity available for further growth. Thus, the exponential growth model is restricted by this
factor to generate the logistic growth equation:
r max(K −N ) N
dN= K
When the population is tiny, N is very small compared to K. The
(K−N)/K terms becomes approximately (K/K) or 1 gives us back the
exponential population growth rate. On the other hand, when N is
large, (K−N)/K come close to zero, which means that population growth will be
slowed greatly or even stopped. 
Thus, population growth is greatly slowed in large populations by the carrying capacity \(K\).
This model also allows for negative population growth or a population decline. This occurs when
the number of individuals in the population exceeds the carrying capacity (because the value of
(K-N)/K is negative).
A graph of this equation yields an S-shaped curve; it is a more-realistic model of population

growth than exponential growth. There are three different sections to an S-shaped curve.
Initially, growth is exponential because there are few individuals and ample resources available.
Then, as resources begin to become limited, the growth rate decreases. Finally, growth levels off
at the carrying capacity of the environment, with little change in population size over time.
Role of Intraspecific Competition
The logistic model assumes that every individual within a population will have equal access to
resources and, thus, an equal chance for survival. For plants, the amount of water, sunlight,
nutrients, and the space to grow are the important resources, whereas in animals, important
resources include food, water, shelter, nesting space, and mates.
In the real world, the variation of phenotypes among individuals within a population means that
some individuals will be better adapted to their environment than others. The resulting
competition between population members of the same species for resources is termed
intraspecific competition (intra- = “within”; -specific = “species”). Intraspecific competition for
resources may not affect populations that are well below their carrying capacity as resources are
plentiful and all individuals can obtain what they need. However, as population size increases,
this competition intensifies. In addition, the accumulation of waste products can reduce an
environment’s carrying capacity.