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Income inequality and population health: a panel data analysis on 21 developed countries

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  • Roberta Torre

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

  • Mikko Myrskylä

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

The relative income-health hypothesis postulates that income distribution is one of the key determinants of population health. The discussion on the age and gender patterns of this association is still open. We test the relative income-health hypothesis using a panel data covering 21 developed countries for over 30 years. We find that net of trends in GDP per head and unobserved period and country factors, income inequality, measured by the Gini index, is strongly and positively associated with male and female mortality up to age 15. For women the association vanishes at older ages, but for men persists up to age 50. These findings suggest that policies decreasing income inequality may improve the health of children and young- to middle-aged men. The mechanisms behind the income inequality-mortality association are not known, but may be related to parental stress and male competition. Future research could focus on unravelling these mechanisms

Suggested Citation

  • Roberta Torre & Mikko Myrskylä, 2011. "Income inequality and population health: a panel data analysis on 21 developed countries," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2011-006, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2011-006
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2011-006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Förster & Marco Mira d'Ercole, 2005. "Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries in the Second Half of the 1990s," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 22, OECD Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elnaz Hajebi & Mohammad Javad Razmi, 2014. "Effect Of Income Inequality On Health Status In A Selection Of Middle And Low Income Countries," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 9(4), pages 133-152, December.
    2. Dana Hübelová & Alice Kozumplíková, 2019. "Evaluation of Demographic and Socio-economic Factors of Mortality in the South Moravian Region (Czech Republic)," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 67(5), pages 1255-1267.
    3. Herzer, Dierk & Nunnenkamp, Peter, 2015. "Income inequality and health: Evidence from developed and developing countries," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 9, pages 1-56.
    4. Nisar Ahmad & Shahbaz Khan, 2021. "Impact of Income Inequality on Health Status in South Asian Countries: A Panel Data Analysis," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(2), pages 205-219.
    5. Brandt, Martina & Deindl, Christian & Hank, Karsten, 2012. "Tracing the origins of successful aging: The role of childhood conditions and social inequality in explaining later life health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(9), pages 1418-1425.
    6. Nádia Simões & Nuno Crespo & Sandrina B. Moreira & Celeste A. Varum, 2016. "Measurement and determinants of health poverty and richness: evidence from Portugal," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1331-1358, June.
    7. Gheorghița Dincă & Camelia Negri & Mariana Cassiana Ioniță, 2020. "The Impact Of Income Inequality On Mortality In The European Union," Annals of University of Craiova - Economic Sciences Series, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 2(48), pages 5-17, December.
    8. Chatterjee, Tonmoy & Dinda, Soumyananda, 2022. "What Determines the Health Status in Developing Countries? Evidence From a Dynamic Panel," Journal of Economic Development, The Economic Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, vol. 47(4), pages 1-37, December.
    9. Nisar Ahmad & Moodhi Raid & Jumah Alzyadat & Hisham Alhawal, 2023. "Impact of urbanization and income inequality on life expectancy of male and female in South Asian countries: a moderating role of health expenditures," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    OECD countries; income distribution; mortality; panmixia;
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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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