Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/182010 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
cege Discussion Papers No. 355
Publisher: 
University of Göttingen, Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research (cege), Göttingen
Abstract: 
There exists a steady trend at which later born cohorts, at the same age, are healthier than earlier born cohorts. We show this trend by computing a health deficit index for a panel of 14 European Countries and six waves of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We find that for each year of later birth, health deficits decline by on average 1.4 - 1.5 percent with insignificant differences between men and women, between countries, and over time. We argue that this trend approximates the rate of medical progress, broadly defined. The steady progress implies substantial delays of human aging. For example, the level of health deficits experienced at age 65 by individuals born 1920 is predicted to be experienced at age 85 by individuals born 1945. The potential health gains are not fully appropriated by individuals of low socio-economic status. Their health deficits decline at about the same rate but from a higher level, which means that we find long-run persistence of health inequality.
Subjects: 
health
aging
health deficit index
medical progress
health inequality
JEL: 
I10
I14
I15
I24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
490.01 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.