IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unu/wpaper/wp-2017-192.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Global inequality in length of life, 1950-2015

Author

Listed:
  • Vanesa Jorda
  • Miguel Niño-Zarazúa

Abstract

This paper provides a broad picture of national, regional and global trends of inequality in length of life over the period 1950-2015. We use data on life tables from World Population Prospects to develop a comprehensive database of a battery of inequality measures for 201 countries at five-year intervals over the period under analysis. We estimate both absolute and relative inequality measures which have the property of being additively decomposable.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanesa Jorda & Miguel Niño-Zarazúa, 2017. "Global inequality in length of life, 1950-2015," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-192, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
  • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2017-192
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2017-192.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jordá, Vanesa & Alonso, José M., 2017. "New Estimates on Educational Attainment Using a Continuous Approach (1970–2010)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 281-293.
    2. Alkire, Sabina, 2002. "Dimensions of Human Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 181-205, February.
    3. Angus Deaton, 2004. "Health in an Age of Globalization," NBER Working Papers 10669, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. François Bourguignon & Christian Morrisson, 2002. "Inequality Among World Citizens: 1820-1992," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 727-744, September.
    5. David Cutler & Angus Deaton & Adriana Lleras-Muney, 2006. "The Determinants of Mortality," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(3), pages 97-120, Summer.
    6. Fleurbaey, Marc & Schokkaert, Erik, 2009. "Unfair inequalities in health and health care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 73-90, January.
    7. Krishna Mazumdar, 2003. "Do Standards of Living Converge? A Cross-country Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 29-50, October.
    8. David M. Cutler & Edward L. Glaeser & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2003. "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 93-118, Summer.
    9. Smits, Jeroen & Monden, Christiaan, 2009. "Length of life inequality around the globe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1114-1123, March.
    10. Duncan Gillespie & Meredith Trotter & Shripad Tuljapurkar, 2014. "Divergence in Age Patterns of Mortality Change Drives International Divergence in Lifespan Inequality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 1003-1017, June.
    11. Ram, Rati, 2006. "State of the "life span revolution" between 1980 and 2000," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 518-526, August.
    12. Peter Adams & Michael D. Hurd & Daniel L. McFadden & Angela Merrill & Tiago Ribeiro, 2004. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise? Tests for Direct Causal Paths between Health and Socioeconomic Status," NBER Chapters, in: Perspectives on the Economics of Aging, pages 415-526, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Brian Goesling & Glenn Firebaugh, 2004. "The Trend in International Health Inequality," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 30(1), pages 131-146, March.
    14. Anonymous, 1950. "World Health Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 501-505, August.
    15. Peltzman, Sam, 2009. "Mortality Inequality," Working Papers 225, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    16. Anonymous, 1950. "World Health Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 683-686, November.
    17. Ryan D. Edwards & Shripad Tuljapurkar, 2005. "Inequality in Life Spans and a New Perspective on Mortality Convergence Across Industrialized Countries," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 31(4), pages 645-674, December.
    18. repec:pri:cheawb:deaton_healthglobalage.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Anonymous, 1950. "World Health Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 144-145, February.
    20. Kunst, Anton E. & Groenhof, Feikje & Mackenbach, Johan P., 1998. "Mortality by occupational class among men 30-64Â years in 11 European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 46(11), pages 1459-1476, January.
    21. Anonymous, 1950. "World Health Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 327-330, May.
    22. Sam Peltzman, 2009. "Mortality Inequality," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 23(4), pages 175-190, Fall.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Prados de la Escosura, Leandro, 2023. "Health, income, and the preston curve: A long view," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vanesa Jordá & Miguel Niño-Zarazúa, 2017. "Global inequality in length of life: 1950–2015," WIDER Working Paper Series 192, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. José M. Aburto & Alyson A. van Raalte, 2017. "Lifespan dispersion in times of life expectancy fluctuation: the case of Central and Eastern Europe," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2017-018, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    3. Vladimir M. Shkolnikov & Evgeny M. Andreev & Zhen Zhang & James E. Oeppen & James W. Vaupel, 2009. "Losses of expected lifetime in the US and other developed countries: methods and empirical analyses," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-042, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    4. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson, 2007. "Disease and Development: The Effect of Life Expectancy on Economic Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 115(6), pages 925-985, December.
    5. Duncan Gillespie & Meredith Trotter & Shripad Tuljapurkar, 2014. "Divergence in Age Patterns of Mortality Change Drives International Divergence in Lifespan Inequality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 1003-1017, June.
    6. Joseph T. Lariscy & Claudia Nau & Glenn Firebaugh & Robert A. Hummer, 2016. "Hispanic-White Differences in Lifespan Variability in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(1), pages 215-239, February.
    7. Rodrigo R. Soares, 2007. "On the Determinants of Mortality Reductions in the Developing World," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 33(2), pages 247-287, June.
    8. Smits, Jeroen & Monden, Christiaan, 2009. "Length of life inequality around the globe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1114-1123, March.
    9. Danan Gu & Patrick Gerland & Kirill F. Andreev & Nan Li & Thomas Spoorenberg & Gerhard Heilig, 2013. "Old age mortality in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(38), pages 999-1038.
    10. Claudia Nau & Glenn Firebaugh, 2012. "A New Method for Determining Why Length of Life is More Unequal in Some Populations Than in Others," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(4), pages 1207-1230, November.
    11. Nirajana Banerjee & Ritojeet Basu & Ananya De & Monalisa Poali, 2021. "Global inequality in life expectancies: what role does income inequality play?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(2), pages 553-563.
    12. Gary Yeung & Gerard Berg & Maarten Lindeboom & France Portrait, 2014. "The impact of early-life economic conditionson cause-specific mortality during adulthood," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 27(3), pages 895-919, July.
    13. Koen Decancq & María Ana Lugo, 2009. "Measuring inequality of well-being with a correlation-sensitive multidimensional Gini index," Working Papers 124, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    14. Yewulsew Mekuria & Daniel Yilma & Zeleke Mekonnen & Tesfaye Kassa & Lealem Gedefaw, 2016. "Renal Function Impairment and Associated Factors among HAART Naïve and Experienced Adult HIV Positive Individuals in Southwest Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross Sectional Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(8), pages 1-11, August.
    15. Lazuka, Volha, 2017. "The lasting health and income effects of public health formation in Sweden," Lund Papers in Economic History 153, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    16. Martine AUDIBERT, 2009. "Issues and Challenges of Measurement of Health:Implications for Economic Research," Working Papers 200922, CERDI.
    17. Nandita Saikia & Abhishek Singh & Domantas Jasilionis & Faujdar Ram, 2013. "Explaining the rural-urban gap in infant mortality in India," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(18), pages 473-506.
    18. Grosse, Scott, 1993. "Schistosomiasis And Water Resources Development: A Re-Evaluation Of An Important Environment-Health Linkage," Working Papers 11881, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Training Project.
    19. Virginia Zarulli & Domantas Jasilionis & Dmitri A. Jdanov, 2012. "Changes in educational differentials in old-age mortality in Finland and Sweden between 1971-1975 and 1996-2000," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 26(19), pages 489-510.
    20. L. Daniel Staetsky, 2009. "Diverging trends in female old-age mortality: A reappraisal," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 21(30), pages 885-914.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2017-192. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Siméon Rapin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/widerfi.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.