Mortality trend in a rapidly developing economy in Taiwan. Part II: Life expectancy and "potential years of life lost".

Taiwan has made remarkable economic progress in the last 30 years. The life expectancy of its population improved steadily during this period. A male child born in 1983 could look forward to 70.4 years of life and a female child to 75.3 years, gains of 17.5 years and 19.0 years, respectively, since 1950. The potential gains in life expectancy of the Taiwan population are also examined if the five leading causes of death are reduced or eliminated. In addition, this paper discusses the concept of potential productive years of life lost (PYLL), examines the leading causes of premature death and shows how this measure can be used to target prevention programs and health care planning.