Linking Changes in Inequality in Life Expectancy and Mortality: Evidence from Denmark and the United States

Claus Kreiner, Gordon Dahl, Benjamin Ly Serena and Torben Nielsen ()

No 14983, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We decompose 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 life expectancy inequality in the US and the entire rise in Denmark. Cardiovascular mortality declines favored the poor, but differences in lifestyle-related survivability led inequality to rise.

Keywords: Mortality; Life expectancy; Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 J10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age and nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Linking Changes in Inequality in Life Expectancy and Mortality: Evidence from Denmark and the United States (2020)
Working Paper: Linking Changes in Inequality in Life Expectancy and Mortality: Evidence from Denmark and the United States (2020)
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