Three ways to compare variations and differences in life expectancy

Comparing socio-economic disparities in life expectancy between countries is a challenge. This requires the study of socio-economic groups that can be classified into categories that align across countries. It also requires freely available life expectancy figures for the same period in each country being compared.

We compare socioeconomic variations and disparities in life expectancy using three measures that can be calculated using open data (Box 1).

1. Inequality in life

We used life expectancy (different lengths of life between individuals) as a measure of variation in age at death. The size is easy to calculate using freely available national data. From mortality rate tables, we calculated life gaps at age 10 and over in 36 countries. ONE gaps in life 0 years indicates no variation in age at death, and everyone dies at the same age. A life difference of 5 years means that the average life expectancy lost due to death is 5 years. Estimates of lifetime differences are based on current mortality rates and may be poor predictors of future trends.

Although not a direct measure of inequality, by definition countries with low levels of life expectancy inequality have low life expectancy gaps, while high life expectancy gaps likely reflect high life expectancy gaps in a country.

2. Differences in mortality rates between geographic regions

The second measure we use is the variation in average life expectancy of people living in different geographic areas of a country. This takes into account socio-economic disparities rather than simple variations in the population as a whole, as differences in life expectancy between regions tend to reflect characteristics (including available facilities and jobs) and population (such as education level and income).

We calculated the absolute and relative differences in mortality rates between geographic areas with the highest and lowest mortality rates (10th and 90th percentiles, respectively) in each country. We use population And death data from standard regions (so-called NUTS3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) regions) in 31 European countries. Most of these areas have populations between 150,000 and 800,000, such as Warwick and Leeds. However, some capital cities, including London, have multiple NUTS3 zones; the others are classified in one NUTS3 zone. When a city is classified in one NUTS3 zone, variations within it can be hidden.

3. Differences in life expectancy according to education level

Our third measure is the gap in average life expectancy between people with different levels of education. It directly measures systematic and potentially avoidable disparities between socio-economic groups. We use data from Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the absolute gap in life expectancy according to education level in 25 European countries, separately for men and women. Educational levels were classified using the 2011 International Standard Classification of Education. Available data combines these levels into low (no schooling beyond key stage 3/year 9), medium (studies completed in high school or college, including vocational or technical training ) and high. (have obtained a bachelor’s degree or equivalent). Few direct measures are available to compare socio-economic disparities between countries. Area-level deprivation gaps are often reported in the UK as an indicator of individual-level deprivation, but cannot be used for international comparisons of disparities because few countries calculate equivalent area-level measures of deprivation. Average life expectancy by income or ethnicity can be a useful measure of inequality, but few countries report it.