What was the average life expectancies at both death camps and concentration camps?

Answer 1

Life expectancies depended on the health of the person when they arrived. I know that seems obvious but it is more insidious than that. The second consideration was which camp you were sent to. Dachau was a concentration camp intended for political prisoner's Rabbi's and some others were killed by the guards at arrival mostly for fun and to instill fear but the vast majority were not overtly killed. They were worked to death. There life was of no value but killing them was unnecessary when they could be used as slaves. Punishment for even simple violations could result in death or be so harsh that death would result soon after. Illness and poor conditions would eventually kill even the healthy with in a year or two. According to the Germans the gas chamber at Dachau was never used. The death camps are a different story. As I said up from if you appeared ill or were to old or young to work you were separated as soon as you got off the train and sent directly to the shower/gas chamber. Many did not survive the long brutal train ride that may have lasted for several days. Any one strong enough to work was subsequently worked and starved to death. Living longer that a few months in a "death camp" was exceptional. Patrick Kelly

Answer 2

Here are some examples: Dachau (a Grade I camp): An estimated 200,000 inmates entered Dachau, and about 35,000 died at the camp. Apparent death-rate: 17.5% Buchenwald (a Grade II camp): An estimated 238,000 prisoners entered the camp, and an estimated 56,500 perished (including about 13,500 who died on evacuation marches ('death marches'). Apparent death-rate: about 24% Auschwitz - except Auschwitz II (Birkenau - the extermination section). This was a Grade III camp. About 400,000 were registered for work and about half of these left the camp alive. Apparent death-rate: 50% (Obviously if one includes Auschwitz II the figures would be quite different). However, this does not mean that 200,000 survived the war. Most of those who left the camp alive were transferred to other camps, and perished there. The cases of Anne and Margot Frank, who were transferred to Bergen-Belsen and died there in March 1945, spring to mind. For comparison, Belzec (extermination camp): 434,508 Jews and an unknown number of Gypsies and Poles were killed there. There are only two (yes, 2) known survivors. Also, Auschwitz II (Birkenau - extermination camp). There are differing figures for the numbers killed there. The Auschwitz Museum has worked out a consciously cautious estimate of 900,000 gassed and shot at Auschwitz II, and only a few hundred survivors. The German Wikipedia article put the number of victims at Birkenau at 1.1 million.