People really overestimate the mortality rate for people over 50... here are the actual mortality stats for the US: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

People really overestimate the mortality rate for people over 50... here are the actual mortality stats for the US: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html On average, a 50 year old is going to live another 30 years. Even a 74 year old is going to live an average of another 12 years. People tend to think that average lifespan works like "take average lifespan, subtract your age, and that is how long you can expect to live" This isn't true, however, as you approach the expected lifespan of the population as a whole. Most people alive will keep living for a while, even if you are pretty old. Even an 80 year old is likely to live another 8 years on average. So yes, increased mortality for old people kills people who would be alive for many more years on average.