Subnational life expectancy disparities in low and middle-income countries : measurement and determinants
Kyriacou, Andreas P.. (Universitat de Girona. Departament d'Economia)
Miranda Lescano, Ronald (Universidad de la República (Uruguai). Departamento de Economía)
Muinelo Gallo, Walter Leonel (Universidad de la República (Uruguai). Departamento de Economía)
Roca i Sagalés, Oriol (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Economia Aplicada)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Economia Aplicada

Date:	2025
Abstract:	This article constructs new indicators of subnational disparities in life expectancy for up to 101 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2021, offering critical insights into health inequalities within countries. The findings reveal that subnational disparities in life expectancy are markedly higher in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to other LMIC world regions throughout the period. Moreover, while subnational disparities in life expectancy have decreased in most regions, Sub-Saharan Africa stands out as an exception, with persistently high disparities alongside rising average life expectancy. A country-level analysis indicates that subnational disparities in life expectancy declined in 61 countries, increased in 30, and remained unchanged in 10. A gender-specific analysis highlights that, while women generally live longer than men across all countries studied, subnational life expectancy disparities are greater for women. Sub-Saharan Africa exhibits the largest disparities in female life expectancy and the widest gap in disparities between men and women. Regression analysis identifies factors influencing life expectancy disparities. Variables such as good governance and public health spending help reduce disparities, while decentralization, larger country size, geographic diversity and ethnic fractionalization tend to increase them. Subnational disparities in income and education emerge as the most significant drivers of life expectancy inequalities, with disparities in female education playing a particularly critical role. These findings emphasize the need for targeted policies aimed at reducing subnational education inequalities, particularly for women, as a key strategy for addressing life expectancy disparities.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Series:	Document de treball (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Economia Aplicada) ; 01.25
Document:	Working paper
Subject:	Subnational disparities ; Llife expectancy ; Inequality measurement ; Inequality determinants

Adreça alternativa: https://ideas.repec.org/p/uab/wprdea/wpdea2501.html
DOI: 10.1186/s13561-025-00676-x
PMID: 41233630

34 p, 2.2 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > Working papers > Department of Applied Economics. Working papers