diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 643d817b9f2513e8fb328ada82c1f8d3af7ece06..ae71c9322d591a65b6fe75b70069d0abe311dfea 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Collate:
     'lifeTable.R'
     'makeQxDataFrame.R'
     'mortalityComparisonTable.R'
+    'mortalityImprovement.R'
     'periodDeathProbabilities.R'
     'mortalityTable.jointLives.R'
     'mortalityTables.list.R'
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 17c93db2ea123df13ec4dc4987382fceedb49e41..b72be70efb216965aa2ca46b2298082af8969fbb 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ exportMethods(getCohortTable)
 exportMethods(getOmega)
 exportMethods(getPeriodTable)
 exportMethods(lifeTable)
+exportMethods(mortalityImprovement)
 exportMethods(periodDeathProbabilities)
 exportMethods(periodTransitionProbabilities)
 exportMethods(setLoading)
diff --git a/R/mortalityImprovement.R b/R/mortalityImprovement.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b4b1eaa456c9bf28a5271870c9472579e1c9c8ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/mortalityImprovement.R
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#' @include mortalityTable.R mortalityTable.period.R mortalityTable.ageShift.R mortalityTable.trendProjection.R mortalityTable.improvementFactors.R mortalityTable.mixed.R
+NULL
+
+#' Return the mortality trend / yearly log-mortality improvement of the given period or the given generation.
+#'
+#' @param object The life table object (class inherited from mortalityTable)
+#' @param ... Other parameters (currently unused)
+#' @param YOB The birth year for which the mortality improvement should be calculated
+#' @param Period The observation year for which the mortality improvement should be calculated. If both YOB and Period are given, YOB is ignored.
+#'
+#' @exportMethod mortalityImprovement
+setGeneric("mortalityImprovement", function(object, ..., Period = NULL, YOB = 1975) standardGeneric("mortalityImprovement"));
+
+#' @describeIn mortalityImprovement Return the yearly log-mortality improvement of the
+#'                                life table given the birth or observation year
+setMethod("mortalityImprovement", "mortalityTable",
+          function(object, ..., Period = NULL, YOB = 1975) {
+              ages = ages(object)
+              if (missing(Period) || is.null(Period)) {
+                  # Improvement for generation YOB
+                  qt1 = deathProbabilities(object, ..., YOB = YOB - 1)
+                  qt  = deathProbabilities(object, ..., YOB = YOB)
+              } else {
+                  # Improvement for observation year Period
+                  qt1 = periodDeathProbabilities(object, ..., Period = Period - 1)
+                  qt  = periodDeathProbabilities(object, ..., Period = Period)
+              }
+              lambda = -log(qt/qt1);
+              names(lambda) = ages;
+              lambda
+          })
+
diff --git a/man/mortalityImprovement.Rd b/man/mortalityImprovement.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..346fd387330e4347f49694883550821257dff944
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/mortalityImprovement.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/mortalityImprovement.R
+\docType{methods}
+\name{mortalityImprovement}
+\alias{mortalityImprovement}
+\alias{mortalityImprovement,mortalityTable-method}
+\title{Return the mortality trend / yearly log-mortality improvement of the given period or the given generation.}
+\usage{
+mortalityImprovement(object, ..., Period = NULL, YOB = 1975)
+
+\S4method{mortalityImprovement}{mortalityTable}(object, ..., Period = NULL,
+  YOB = 1975)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{object}{The life table object (class inherited from mortalityTable)}
+
+\item{...}{Other parameters (currently unused)}
+
+\item{Period}{The observation year for which the mortality improvement should be calculated. If both YOB and Period are given, YOB is ignored.}
+
+\item{YOB}{The birth year for which the mortality improvement should be calculated}
+}
+\description{
+Return the mortality trend / yearly log-mortality improvement of the given period or the given generation.
+}
+\section{Methods (by class)}{
+\itemize{
+\item \code{mortalityTable}: Return the yearly log-mortality improvement of the
+life table given the birth or observation year
+}}
+