Adolescent and young adult mortality in Latin America: a heterogeneous path marked by violence

Guiomar Bay, CELADE
Maren Andrea Jimenez, Centro Latinoamericano de Demografía (CELADE)
Ruiz Magda, CELADE

In addition to their biological and individual peculiarities, the level of mortality of young people is determined by their economic and social situation. In general the leading cause of death for people 15 to 29 years of age are those of external origin, related to violence. However, the types of external deaths are often different depending on the country and the time period. This study is based on an analysis of years of life lost in the population ages 15 to 29 by sex over the period 1950 to 2005. It highlights significant differences in years of life lost due to adolescent and young adult mortality in the region among countries, by sex and at different times. Further analyses examine the different causes of death in selected countries, stressing the difference by sex and time.