Introduction Migrant mortality has attracted substantial research interest. First, it provides the opportunity to look at the combined influence of earlier life conditions in the country of origin and the more recent life conditions in the receiving country. Second, it allows one to see how cultural and behavioral patterns imported from the country of origin and their further transformation affect migrant health. Third, it enables the researcher to gain insight into selective migration of healthy people (the healthy migrant effect). Indeed, at the very moment of moving, most migrants are in good health because immigration and assimilation to the foreign society are hardly compatible with serious health problems. In addition, migrants often have to pass obligatory medical examinations before they immigrate. 1 6 1 2 7 4 8 9 3 10 3 1 11 11 12 Aussiedler 13 14 15 4 Ausländerzentralregister 14 10 Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund 16 17 Postrentendienst 12 18 19 1 1 Table 1 Comparison of male population and death counts (age 65+) between German official population statistics and DRV data for the years 1995–2004 Nationality and year Population Deaths In thousands Ratio In thousands Ratio Population statistics DRV statistics Population statistics/DRV statistics Population statistics DRV statistics Population statistics/DRV statistics Germans     1995 4408.0 4023.1 1.10 277.7 255.1 1.09     1998 4704.2 4311.3 1.09 270.7 252.4 1.07     2001 5208.7 4760.2 1.09 268.5 232.5 1.15     2004 5879.4 5356.6 1.10 277.1 264.1 1.09     1995–2004 20,200.2 18,451.3 1.09 1,093.9 1,004.1 1.09 Foreigners     1995 109.7 76.7 1.43 2.7 3.7 0.74     1998 144.7 104.2 1.39 3.3 4.6 0.71     2001 190.0 144.2 1.32 4.0 5.5 0.73     2004 251.0 197.3 1.27 4.9 8.4 0.58     1995–2004 695.3 522.3 1.33 14.9 22.1 0.67 14 5 1 8 Fig. 1 14 5  2 Table 2 Life expectancy at age 65 for men in Germany, for the years 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2004, in years Year Germans Foreigners Germans and foreigners Population statistics DRV statistics Population statistics DRV statistics Population statistics DRV statistics 1995 14.7 14.6 25.9 14.3 14.7 14.6 1998 15.2 15.2 29.2 14.8 15.4 15.2 2001 16.0 16.4 34.1 15.7 16.2 16.4 2004 16.6 16.2 37.8 15.0 16.8 16.1 1995–2004 15.3 15.6 30.2 15.0 15.4 15.6 14 5 higher 5 10 The underestimated mortality of foreigners should result in the underestimation of mortality in the broader group of German residents who have a migrant background. As mentioned earlier, foreigners constitute about 40% of all people with migrant background at ages 65+. Assuming for simplicity the same level of true mortality among all German residents with migrant background and precisely reported mortality of German nationals with migrant background, it is easy to see that the two-fold underestimation of mortality of foreigners leads to a 25% underestimation of mortality of all residents with migrant background. 1 2 4 5 1 2 7 7 20 21 22 23 23 3 24 25 In general, our results support the concern about the reliability of very low estimates of migrant mortality at ages 65 and over. It is possible that, despite the initial health advantage, the slightly higher mortality of foreigners in the 65+ population is a result of socioeconomic health inequalities. This is a serious public health concern that deserves further investigation.