A person born in Brazil in 20-16 had a life expectancy, on the average, of 75 years, nine months and seven days (75.8 years). That represents an increase of three months and 11 days more than a person born in 2015. The life expectancy of men increased from 71.9 years in 2015 to 72.2 years in 2016, whereas, aong women, there was increase from 79.1 to 79.4 anos.

In 2016, the probability of a newly-born male dying before one year of age was 14.4 for every one thousand births. In the case of newly-born girls, that figure was 12.2.

Child mortality (of children under five years of age) fell from 16.1/1,000 birth in 2015 to 15.5/ 1,000 in 2016. Considering chidren who died before the age of five, 85.8% would die in their first year of life and 14.2%, between one and four years of age. In 1940, the probability of dying between one and four years was 30.9%, more than twice the figure relative to 2016.

Among the Federation Units, the highest life expectancy was registered in Santa Catarina, 79.1 years, and the lowest, in Maranhão, 70.6 years. An elderly person turning 65 in 2016 would have the highest life expectancy (20.1 years) in Espírito Santo. On the other hand, in Rondônia, a person turning 65 in 2016 would have a life expectancy of 15.9 years more. Considering the difference by sex, the elderly male population in the state would live 18.2 years and the elderly female population, 21.8 years more. Among the lowest life expectancy figures are elderly men in Piauí, with 14.6 year more, and women in Rondônia, with 17.1 years.

These and other data are available in the 2016 edition Complete Life Tables of Brazil, which present the exact life expectancy figures up to age 80 and are used as one of the parameters to determine the social security factor, in the calculation of retirement pensions of the Social Security General Regime. This edition brings comparisons with 1940, the year after which was observed a first phase of the demographic transition, characterized by the start of the decline in mortality rates. 

All the Life Tables results are available here.

Infant mortality rate is 13.3 deaths per one thousand births

In 1940, the infant mortality rate was approximately 147.0 deaths of children under one year of age per every one thousand live births, and of 76.7 per one thousad live births in the group aged one to four. From the total 212.1 out of every 1,000, who died before turning 5 years of age, 69.1% died in their first year of life. These figures point to a concentration of deaths in the first year of life. 

Between 1940 and 2016, infant mortality recorded a decrease of about 90.9%, having changed from 146.6/1,000 to 13,3/1,000, and motality between 1 and 4 years of age recorded a decrease of 97.1%, with a change from 76.7/1,000 to 2.2/1,000.

Life expectancy increased by 30.3 years between 1940 and 2016 

In 1940, life expectancy at birth was 45.5 years, being 42.9 for men and 48.3 years for women. Between 1940 and 1960, Brazil reduced to almost healf the gross mortality rate (number of deaths in one year divided by the total population in July of that same year), from 20.9 deaths per every one thousand inhabitants to 9.8 per one thousand. Life expectancy at birth in 1960 was 52.2 years. Overall life expectancy increased by 30.3 years between 1940 and 2016, amounting to 75.8 years. 

In 1940, a citizen who turned 50 would have a life expectancy of 19.1 years, and live, on the averag 69.1 years. With the decline of mortality in the period, the same person, aged 50 in 2016, would have a life expectancy of 30.3 years, expecting to live, on the average, 80.3 years, that is 11.3 years more than a persons the same age in 1940.

Men aged 20 have 4.5 times more chances of not reaching the age of 25 than women

In 2016, a man aged 20 had 4.5 times more chances of not reaching the age of 25 than a woman in the same age group. This phenomenon can be explained due to the bigger occurrence of deaths by external or non-natural causes, which affect the male population more significantly. In 1940, male excess mortality was not registered in the country at the time, and that shows this report is related to the process of urbanization in Brazil. From 1980 on, the deaths associated with external or non-natural causes, which include homicides, suicides, car accidents, drownings, accidental falls, etc, started to play a negative role on the structure of excess mortality, mainly of young adults of the male sex. 

Between 1940 and 2016, there was also decrease of female mortality in the reproductive period, between 15 and 49 years of age. In 1940, out of every one hundred thousand female live births, 77,777 started their reproductive period and, from that group, 57,336 completed the period. In 2016, out of every one thousand female live births, 98,367 got to the age of 15 and, from that group, 94,208 got to he end of the period. So, the probability of a newly-born completing her reproductive period, 573‰ in 1940, increased to 942‰ in 2016.

Adult life, considered as the period between 15 and 59 years of age, was benefited by the reduction of mortality levels. In 1940, out of every 10 thousand persons who reached the age of 15, approximately 535 got to the age of 60. In 2016, out of those same 1,000, 860 got to the age of 60. 

Life expectancy of the elderly population increased by 7.9 years from 1940 to 2016

In 1940, out of every one thousand persons who reached the age of 65, 259 would get to 80 years of age and over. In 2016, out of every one thousand elderly aged 65, 628  would reach the age of 80. Life expectancy rates at 80 were 10.2 and 8.5 for women and men, respectively. In 1940, these figures were 4.5 years for women and 4.0 years for men.

Santa Catarina has highest life expectancy at birth, 79.1 years

Among the Federation Units, Espírito Santo had the lowest infant mortality rate: 8.8 deaths per every 1,000 live births. The highest rate was that of Amapá: 23.2/1,000. The other states with similar mortality rates were Maranhão (21.3) and Rondônia (20.0).

The highest life expectancy at birth in a Federation Unit was recorded by Santa Catarina, 79.1 years, followed by Espírito Santo, Federal District and São Paulo, all of them with figures above 78.0 years of age. Other states recording a life expectancy above the national average were: Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro. The lowest life expectancy was that of Maranhão (70.6 years). Piauí, Rondônia, Roraima, Alagoas and Amazonas also had life expectancy figures below 72.0 years of age. 

Considering the differences between life expectancy figures by sex in the states, the biggest differences were found in the states of the Northeast, in Paraá and in Espírito Santo.

An elderly person who turned 65 in 2016 would have the highest life expectancy (20.1 years) in Espírito Santo. On the other hand, in Rondônia, a person turning 65 in 2016 would have a life expectancy of 15.9 years more. Considering the difference by sex, the elderly male population of the state would have 18.2 years more and the female population, 21.8 years more. Among the lowest estimates, can be mentioned elderly men in Piauí, with 14.6 years more, and women in Rondônia, with 17.1 years more.