Ageing and Diversity: Inequalities in Longevity and Health in Low Mortality Countries

Cosmo Strozza , Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics
Viviana Egidi, Sapienza Università di Roma
Maria Rita Testa, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
Graziella Caselli, Sapienza Università di Roma

BACKGROUND Longevity and old age are two aspects of the same phenomenon, representing a major concern for modern societies. There is universal consensus among scholars about the need for new frameworks and measures to define older people in a more effective and dynamic way. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to compute prospective old-age thresholds (POATs) in six countries characterised by disparate progress in survival. The paper also examines trends in POAT and disability-free POAT (DF-POAT) by gender, geographical area, and education in Italy, to outline possible strategies to counter population ageing. DATA AND METHODS To compute the POAT, we use life tables from the Human Mortality Database (HMD) and the Italian National Institute of Statistics, Istat. In addition, to compute the DF-POAT, data have been retrieved from Istat on mortality and health by geographical area and education. RESULTS During the period 1950-2020, the POAT advanced everywhere, albeit in different rhythms by country, gender, and period. However, great differences in POAT and DF-POAT have emerged, depending on place of residence, education, and health. CONCLUSIONS The POAT changes the evaluation of population ageing and could reduce the alarm caused by measures based on static chronological ages. Using Italy as case study, we show that overcoming geographical and social inequalities would counteract the population ageing process. CONTRIBUTION The paper enhances the use of a dynamic old-age threshold, and highlights the impact of survival and health inequalities on ageing more neatly than studies based on chronological age.

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 Presented in Session 68. Ageing, Distance and Care