A recent study examined mortality data from 1999-2008, comparing male deaths to female deaths (Pediatrics 2013; 132: 631-38) –thanks to Ben Gold for this reference.

Here’s a link to the abstract:  Pediatric Mortality in Males Versus Females in the … – Pediatrics

This study reviewed mortality data, including data from the CDC’s WONDER (wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research) system .

Key Findings:

• Males had higher relative risk of dying in all age groups with a relative risk of 1.44.
• Males had higher mortality rates in 17 of 19 major ICD-10 categories (including cancer), thus this does not appear to be simply a matter of more accidents.
• Even between 15-19 years when accidental and nonaccidental trauma were excluded males continue to demonstrate an increased relative risk of death.

While this study is limited by relying on the accuracy of coding for underlying cause of death, it supports the idea that males have a higher mortality throughout their lifespan.