Socio-Economic Inequality and Differences in Life Expectancy

In the context of increasing global risks, pandemics, urbanization and socio-economic polarization, the problem of mortality inequality is becoming one of the key problems of modern distributive and social science. The purpose of this study is to analyze the long-term evolution of life expectancy inequality and assess the impact of modern socio-economic imbalances and global risks on changing trends towards equalization of mortality. The article uses a mixed approach combining historical and comparative interpretation, life table-based distribution analysis, and qualitative institutional analysis. The study uses data from WHO, the OECD, and the results of international research in the 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. The results of the study showed that during the 20th century, the coefficient of life expectancy inequality in developed countries decreased significantly: in the USA from 0.476 in 1852 to 0.099 in 2002, in England and Wales from 0.443 to 0.094, in France from 0.446 to 0.083. At the same time, in the 21st century, there is a slowdown in the processes of equalization of life expectancy and an increase in socio-economic stratification of survival rates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global life expectancy decreased by 1.8 years, while excess mortality reached about 14.9 million people. The study showed that mortality inequality is formed through the mechanisms of unequal exposure to risks, vulnerability, institutional protection and access to medical technologies. Furthermore, the study shows that the distribution of medical resources and access to them directly influence differences in survival outcomes between countries and social groups.

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