What measuring lifespan trends says about inequality
Breakthroughs in modern medicine are pushing the boundaries of human longevity, with life expectancy climbing globally, at different rates.
People are living longer lives compared to previous generations but, over the last few decades, there has been a hidden shift – they are passing away at increasingly similar ages.
This is a trend captured by the Gini Index, also called the Gini Coefficient. Should everyone pass away at the same age, the Gini Index would be zero. This makes the Gini Index a measure of equality, and a Gini Index of one represents inequality.
The Gini Index was developed by Italian statistician Corrado Gini. It is used primarily to study people’s incomes, and to measure inequality.
The Gini Index, typically associated with wealth distribution, reflects the degree of inequality within a society. In the context of life expectancy, lifespan serves as the new wealth — the Gini Index quantifies the disparity between lifespans, wealth distribution and equality.
Integrating the Gini Index with the expected lifespan yields the Gini Mean Difference (GMD).
A global shift
Breakthroughs in modern medicine are pushing the boundaries of human longevity, with life expectancy climbing globally, at different rates. The universal lifespan Gini Index hovers around 0.10 – 0.30 across the world, reflecting a reduction in lifespan inequality.
But individuals are passing away closer to the average age of mortality. This intriguing trend is measured by the Gini Index, reflecting a noticeable global shift with regional nuances.
Some regions...
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