Death rates at specific life stages mold the sex gap in life expectancy

Significance Female life expectancy exceeds male life expectancy. Males at ages 15 to 40 die at rates that are often three times female levels, but this excess mortality is not the main cause of the life expectancy gap. Few deaths occur at younger adult ages compared with mortality after age 60 or, historically, among newborns. Our demographic analysis shows that, up through the early decades of the 20th century, the life expectancy gap largely resulted from excess deaths of infant boys. Afterward, higher mortality among men 60+ became crucial. The higher mortality of males at ages 15 to 40 has played a modest role.
Why do women live longer than men? Here, we mine rich lodes of demographic data to reveal that lower female mortality at particular ages is decisive—and that the important ages changed around 1950. Earlier, excess mortality among baby boys was crucial; afterward, the gap largely resulted from elevated mortality among men 60+. Young males bear modest responsibility for the sex gap in life expectancy: Depending on the country and time, their mortality accounts for less than a quarter and often less than a 10th of the gap. Understanding the impact on life expectancy of differences between male and female risks of death by age, over time, and across populations yields insights for research on how the lives of men and women differ.