A Time to Die: A Study of the Relationship of Birthdays and Time of Death

Abstract

Using data from several sources, the authors found that almost half of all deaths occur during the first quarter after one's birthday, while less than 10 per cent occur in the quarter just prior to the birthday. This finding obtained for deaths of several types included long illnesses, accidental death, suicide, and natural causes. Death did not follow this pattern in the case of war casualties and homicide victims, however. The data supported the Durkheimian explanation of the integrative effect of the birthday.