The discrete Lindley distribution: properties and applications

Modelling count data is one of the most important issues in statistical research. In this paper, a new probability mass function is introduced by discretizing the continuous failure model of the Lindley distribution. The model obtained is over-dispersed and competitive with the Poisson distribution to fit automobile claim frequency data. After revising some of its properties a compound discrete Lindley distribution is obtained in closed form. This model is suitable to be applied in the collective risk model when both number of claims and size of a single claim are implemented into the model. The new compound distribution fades away to zero much more slowly than the classical compound Poisson distribution, being therefore suitable for modelling extreme data.