From Life Tables to Simulation: Exploring Mortality Data in the Classroom

This article presents a classroom case study that integrates real-world mortality data, data visualization, and introductory Monte Carlo simulation into an undergraduate Models for Life Contingency course. Using publicly available data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD), students explored survivorship patterns across countries, genders, and time periods while examining broader questions related to longevity, mortality, and uncertainty in future lifetime outcomes. The project combined exploratory data analysis, graphical visualization, simulation, and communication activities to help students connect actuarial concepts with real-world demographic data. Through a sequence of increasingly complex questions, students investigated survivorship differences, interpreted simulation results, and discussed actuarial applications involving longevity risk and mortality modeling. The article includes pedagogical reflections, implementation notes, and supplementary Excel-based materials that support adaptation in actuarial science, data science, statistics, and mathematical finance courses.