The population between the ages of 65 and 74 in various countries (1900)[114] is as follows: United Kingdom—1,418,000 (including England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, of which England and Wales have 1,076,000; Scotland, 151,000; Ireland, 191,000); Germany—2,003,000; Prussia—1,185,000; France—2,246,000; Italy—1,435,000; United States—2,186,000.
The percentage of the population 65 and upwards in various countries is: United Kingdom—5 per cent (in England, Wales, and Scotland the percentage is 5 per cent, and in Ireland 6 per cent); Germany—5 per cent; France—8 per cent; Italy—6 per cent; United States—4 per cent.
Allyn A. Young[115] gives a table bringing out the following facts, taking the population of continental United States in 1900 as 75,994,575 as a basis:
| Age | Population | |||
| Native White | Foreign White | Colored | Total | |
| 70 | 123,818 | 66,941 | 18,213 | 208,972 |
| 75 | 79,214 | 40,886 | 10,061 | 130,161 |
| 80 | 42,095 | 19,559 | 6,995 | 68,649 |
| 85 | 17,271 | 7,059 | 2,854 | 27,184 |
| 90 | 4,551 | 1,796 | 1,190 | 7,539 |
| 95 | 833 | 430 | 766 | 2,029 |
| 99 | 195 | 168 | 255 | 618 |
Solomon S. Huebner[116] says a mortality table is a picture of a generation of individuals passing through time. He takes a group of them and traces their history year by year until all have died. The American Experience tables, almost exclusively used for computation by the old insurance companies, contain the following and are based on 100,000 individuals:
American Experience Table of Mortality
| Age | Number Living at Beginning of Designated Year | Number Dying during Designated Year |
| 70 | 38,569 | 2,391 |
| 71 | 36,178 | 2,448 |
| 72 | 33,730 | 2,487 |
| 73 | 31,243 | 2,505 |
| 74 | 28,738 | 2,501 |
| 75 | 26,237 | 2,476 |
| 76 | 23,761 | 2,431 |
| 77 | 21,330 | 2,369 |
| 78 | 18,961 | 2,291 |
| 79 | 16,670 | 2,196 |
| 80 | 14,474 | 2,091 |
| 81 | 12,383 | 1,964 |
| 82 | 10,419 | 1,816 |
| 83 | 8,603 | 1,648 |
| 84 | 6,955 | 1,470 |
| 85 | 5,485 | 1,292 |
| 86 | 4,193 | 1,114 |
| 87 | 3,079 | 933 |
| 88 | 2,146 | 744 |
| 89 | 1,402 | 555 |
| 90 | 847 | 385 |
| 91 | 462 | 246 |
| 92 | 216 | 137 |
| 93 | 79 | 58 |
| 94 | 21 | 18 |
| 95 | 3 | 3 |
In a table headed “Actuaries’ or Combined Experience Table of Mortality”[117] we have the following, taking 100,000 persons of ten years of age as the basis:
| Age | Probable Number of Persons Living | Expectation of Life |
| 70 | 35,837 | 8.54 |
| 75 | 24,100 | 6.48 |
| 80 | 13,290 | 4.78 |
| 85 | 5,417 | 3.36 |
| 90 | 1,319 | 2.11 |
| 95 | 89 | 1.12 |
| 99 | 1 | .50 |
In a very valuable state report[118] collating data from many sources for convenient use by the legislature it appears that the total number of persons 65 or over in Massachusetts by the census of April 1, 1915, was 189,047. It is generally supposed that during recent years the ratio of the aged to the total population has increased, but the tables show that in Massachusetts this did not hold true for the forty years ending in 1915. Mortality rates in most localities have fallen, but improved conditions of life have not affected the ratio of the aged to the total. Still, the duration of life has continuously increased, owing to medical and sanitary science and improved standards of living; and while the younger element of the population has been chiefly affected, the span of life of the aged has also been somewhat prolonged. Hence if this tendency continues the need of pensioning would increase.