TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding the Rise in Life Expectancy Inequality
AU - Dahl, Gordon B.
AU - Kreiner, Claus Thustrup
AU - Nielsen, Torben Heien
AU - Serena, Benjamin Ly
N1 - Published online: 20 December 2021.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - We provide a novel decomposition of changing gaps in life expectancy between rich and poor into differential changes in age-specific mortality rates and differences in “survivability”. Declining age-specific mortality rates increases life expectancy, but the gain is small if the likelihood of living to this age is small (ex-ante survivability) or if the expected remaining lifetime is short (ex-post survivability). Lower survivability of the poor explains half of the recent rise in inequality in the US and the entire rise in Denmark. Declines in cardiovascular mortality benefited rich and poor, but inequality increased because of differences in lifestyle-related survivability.
AB - We provide a novel decomposition of changing gaps in life expectancy between rich and poor into differential changes in age-specific mortality rates and differences in “survivability”. Declining age-specific mortality rates increases life expectancy, but the gain is small if the likelihood of living to this age is small (ex-ante survivability) or if the expected remaining lifetime is short (ex-post survivability). Lower survivability of the poor explains half of the recent rise in inequality in the US and the entire rise in Denmark. Declines in cardiovascular mortality benefited rich and poor, but inequality increased because of differences in lifestyle-related survivability.
U2 - 10.1162/rest_a_01148
DO - 10.1162/rest_a_01148
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0034-6535
VL - 106
SP - 566
EP - 575
JO - Review of Economics and Statistics
JF - Review of Economics and Statistics
IS - 2
ER -