This study investigates the statistical methods used in Korean abridged life tables. Those have been constructed with several methods by the researchers since the first life table was published in 1938 by Misushima. Because of the incompleteness of vital registration, there have been some difficulties in constructing life tables with those data directly. So the researchers have modified the data by several methods of estimating the exact mortality and the probability of death.
The summarized results are as follows;
1. The life expectancies at birth of Koreans in the 1920´s were 32.39 for male, 35.07 for female. These life expectancies gradually increased to 65.73 for males and 74.50 for females by 1985. Some fluctuation of life expectancies at birth was observed after the year of the 1960.
2. Though life tables constructed using different methods dealt with the same year, the maximum differences of life expectancies at birth were 6.4 years for male, 7.5 years for female.
3. The researchers estimated the age specific mortality from census survival ratio, special demographic survey, model life tables and vital registration data.
4. The method of estimating the probability of death used in Korean life tables were King´s method, Greville´s method, Reed-Merrell´s method, Chiang´s method, Brass´method and Keyfitz´s method.
5. The standard model life tables applied to the abridged life tables for Korean were regional model life tables, the west and north models of Coale-Demeny, the far-eastern pattern of the United Nation´ standard model life tables and general model life tables of Brass.
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