Using Census to Estimate Mortality Differentials: An Application to Rural-Urban Adult Mortality in Colombia in 2018

José Henrique Costa Monteiro da Silva , University of Pennsylvania

Urban-rural mortality differentials in Low and Middle Income countries have been broadly investigated for younger ages, but not as much for adults. Most studies conducted so far on urban-rural adult mortality, however, are comparative analyses that do not investigate socioeconomic and regional disparities within-countries. Lack of reliable good quality data is one of the main reasons for the few studies in Latin America, in particular. The present study aims to fill this gap for Colombia, the second largest country in population size of South America, and a country severally impacted by a long-term internal armed conflict. By using data from the 2018 national censuses, I could estimate death rates by sex, region, area of residence, and socioeconomic deprivation status of the household (using the unmet basic needs index). I show that, in general, there is a rural mortality penalty in Colombia, which is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation (Pacífico) and Amazonía). Nevertheless, socioeconomic disparities account for about 20-25% of the differences observed between male and female adult mortality rates in urban and rural areas.

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 Presented in Session P2. Health, Mortality, Ageing - Aperitivo