The indicator increased 32.4% in a period of 46 years, changing from 54.6 years, in 1960, to 72.3 years, in 2006. Infant mortality (24.9‰ ), decreased 64.0% between 1980 and 2006; the states of  Alagoas (51.9‰) and Maranhão (40.7‰) kept the  highest rates in the country. In this same period, violence has caused significant increase to the male/female mortality ratio, mainly in the group aged 20 – 24 years. In this case, the biggest changes occurred in Amapá (from 1.6 to 6.1 times) and in the state of São Paulo (from 2.4 to 5.9 times). In 2005, men were the victims of over 80% of the violent deaths. From 1980 to 2005, the percentages relative to deaths by homicide almost doubled, having changed from 19.8% to 37.1% of the overall number of deaths, from 22.4% to 40.8% considering male deaths and from 9.4% to 18.3% considering female deaths.  According to IBGE estimates, 15.6% of the deaths which occurred in 2005 may not have been registered, and 13.7% may not have been reported (underreport).

In 2006, life expectancy at birth was 72.3 years. In comparison with 1960 (54.6 years), this number is 32.4% higher (or 17 years, 8 months and 1 day). Currently, on average, in this period, there was increase of four months and 18 days, being four months for men and five months and seven days for women. In 2005, life expectancy was 71.9 years, being the figures for men and women, 68.2 and 75.8, respectively.  

In these 46 years, life expectancy of women has had the highest increase (35.7%), reaching 76.1 years, on average, versus 68.5 relative to men (28.9%). In relation to 1960, women’s life expectancy has increased by 20 years and 34 days, and men’s, 15 years, 10 months and 14 days. Some of the factors which have contributed to this change are the better access to health services by the population, vaccination campaigns, the increase of schooling, the prevention of illnesses and the advances of medicine. 

In 2006, among the Federative Units, the Federal District was the leader, with the highest life expectancy (75.1 years); Alagoas (66.4%) was in the last position. In 1980, when regional comparisons began, these positions were occupied by Rio Grande do Sul (67.8 years) and Alagoas (55.7 years), respectively.

For men, the highest life expectancy in states was that of Santa Catarina (71.8 years), and the lowest, in Alagoas (62.4 years). Concerning women, the Federal District was the highlight (78.9 years), whereas, once more, Alagoas was in the base of the list, with 70.4 years.

Since 1999, IBGE has released, annually, the complete mortality rates for the Brazilian population, as a reply to what is prescribed in Article 2 of the Presidential Decree no. 3.266 of 11/29/1999. The data of mortality tables are used by the Ministry of Social Security in the calculation of the benefit factor of pensions of persons whose retirement benefits are ruled by the General Regimen of Social Security.

Alagoas (51.9‰) and Maranhão (40.7‰) had the highest infant mortality rates

In Brazil, between 1980 and 2006, the infant mortality rate was reduced by 64.0% and fell from 69.1‰ to 24.9‰ (24.9 deaths for one thousand infants born alive). In 2006, the state with the lowest infant mortality rate was Rio Grande do Sul (13.9‰), followed by São Paulo (16.0‰). Ceará reached the highest level of reduction in the period studied (72.4%), having changed from 111.5‰ to 30.8‰. Alagoas and Maranhão had the highest infant mortality rates in Brazil: 51.9‰ and 40.7‰, respectively.

In 46 years, male/female mortality ratio increased

Since the end of the 1960’s, with the intensification of the urbanization process in Brazil, there has been increase of the difference between male and female mortality rates.  

This is due, mainly, to the higher incidence of deaths by external causes among men, especially youngsters and adults. Between 1960 and 2006, the male/female mortality ratio increased significantly, especially in the group aged 20 – 24 years: in 1960, the probability of a man dying at 20 years of age, before reaching the following age group (25 – 29 years) was 1.1 times higher than the probability of a woman in the same age group. In 2006, a comparison of these figures for men and women in the same age group, 20 to 24 years, shows the probability ratio of male death over female death has increased to 4.1 times.

Differences in mortality rates are also present in Federative Units, but comparisons at this geographic level only started in 1980. In a comparison between male/female mortality ratios in 1980 and 2006 (for the group aged 20 -24 years), the highest increases occurred in Amapá from 1.6 to 6.1 times) and in the state of São Paulo (from 2.4 to 5.9 times), but in Rio de Janeiro the change was also big (from 3.0 to 5.1). In these three Federative Units, in 2006, the male/female mortality ratios were above the national average (4.1 times).

Men were the victims in over 80% of the violent deaths  

One of the causes of the increase of male/female mortality ration was the number of deaths by external causes (or violent ones), which is more common among men than among women. Data from the Ministry of Health for 2005 show that, in Brazil, there were 1,003,005 deaths and 12.5% of them (125,816) resulted from external causes. A total of 83.5% of these deaths (105,062) occurred among the male population. By comparing their demographic trends with the number of deaths registered in Brazilian register offices, IBGE estimates that, in 2005, 15.6% of the deaths may not have been reported (underreport). The same way, considering statistics from the Ministry of Health, IBGE estimates that, in 2005, 13.7% of deaths in hospitals may not have been reported (underreport). In relation to the group aged 20-29 years, these indicators would be, respectively, 20.0% and 34.4%.

In the group aged 20 - 29 years, specifically, there were 35,551 deaths due to external causes in 2005. The male population was the victim in 90% (or 32,017) of these deaths.

Another approach also evidences the biggest susceptibility of the young male population to violence: among the 41,982 male deaths in the group aged 20-29 years, 76.3% (3,017) were due to external deaths. Among 10,831 female deaths in the same age group, 32.6% (3,534) were due to external deaths.

In 2005, homicides were predominant among non-natural deaths

Also according to the Ministry of Health, among the 125,816 deaths by external deaths which occurred in 2005, there was predominance of those caused by homicides (37.1%), by car accidents (28.4%) and suicides (6.8%). Homicides (40.8%) were predominant in the male population, whereas car accidents (32.1%) are the most frequent cause of female deaths due to external reasons (see table below). The percentage of deaths by suicide among women is slightly higher than among men (6.4%).

It can be noticed that the percentages relative to deaths by homicide, for instance, have almost doubled since 1980 (see table below). They have changed, in this period, from 19.8% to 37.1% of the total number of deaths, from 22.4% to 40.8% among men and from 9.4% to 18.3% among women. It is also interesting to notice that the percentage of suicides among women has remained virtually unchanged from 1980 to 2005.  

By analyzing specifically non-natural deaths (or from external causes) it is possible to notice that over half of them (52.9%) were caused by homicides, which also account for most (55.1%) of the deaths of men (see table below). Among women in this age group, deaths caused by car accidents are still predominant (39.7); deaths by suicide are also more common among women (10.5%) than among men (5.0%).

Also in the group aged 20 – 29, between 1980 and 2005, the percentages relative to deaths by homicides almost doubled (see table below ), having changed from 28.8% to 52.9% of the overall number of deaths, from 30.7% to 55.1% of male deaths and from 17.1% to 33.0% of female deaths. The percentage of suicides among women in the period fell from 13.2% to 10.5%.