Trends in Life Expectancy and Its Association with Economic Factors in the Belt and Road Countries—Evidence from 2000–2014
Ruhai Baia b c d, Junxiang Weia b c d, Ruopeng Ane, Yan Lif g, Laura Colletth, Shaonong Dangb d, Wanyue Dongb d, Duolao Wangh, Zeping Fanga b c d, Yaling Zhaoa b c d, Youfa Wanga b c d✉
- aGlobal Health Institute, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China
- bSchool of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China
- cGlobal Health Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China
- dSchool of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China
- eDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, IL 61820, USA
- fCenter for Health Innovation, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
- gDepartment of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- hDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
- ✉Corresponding author
Papers open inside SciRah from the original publisher or repository; SciRah never hosts them.
Abstract
In 2013, China launched the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative in an effort to promote trade and economic collaboration. This study examined the change in life expectancy (LE) among countries along B&R and studied the impact of economic development on LE. Data from 65 B&R countries from 2000 to 2014 were compiled and analyzed. Trend of LE was examined by sex and country. Linear quantile mixed model was used to study the associations between LE and economic factors. In 2014, the average LE in all B&R countries was 69.7 years for men and 73.7 years for women. Across countries in 2014, LE for men ranged from 58.6 years in Afghanistan to 80.2 years in Israel. LE for women ranged from 61.3 years in Afghanistan to 85.9 in Singapore. GDP per capita was positively associated with longevity across B&R countries. The unemployment rate was positively associated with LE only for countries in the top LE quantiles. GDP growth rate and Inflation were negatively associated with LE for the countries in the bottom LE quantiles for men, not for women. LE increased substantially among B&R countries during 2000⁻2014. The influence of macroeconomic factors on LE was related to the distribution of LE.