Compression of mortality
\kəmˈprɛʃən\ \ʌv\ \mɔrˈtæləti\
The ongoing effect resulting in the narrowing of the range of ages over which most individuals die.
Over time, the spread of ages over which most individuals die has narrowed. In other words, mortality has been compressed into a shorter period: a particular cohort of individuals might expect to die within a 10-year period now rather than over a longer period as in the past. The compression of mortality effect is largely a result of the reduction of premature deaths. The effect of compression of mortality is to make the survival curve more rectangular (rather than triangular) in shape and is sometimes referred to as rectangularization; the probability of survival remains high until a particular age, and then tails off sharply in this compressed mortality period.
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