Inequality in mortality decreases with age: evidence from developing countries using census data

Abstract

With few exceptions, studies consistently find that mortality rate ratios between the highest and lowest socioeconomic status (SES) groups decline with age. This un-intuitive pattern is relevant for policy and research, but it has seldom been explored in the populations of developing countries. In this study, we use SES groups of equal relative size to compare mortality rate ratios by age for eight samples in the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) that contain mortality and household assets data (El Salvador 1992, Rwanda 2002, Senegal 2002, Sierra Leone 2004, Uganda 2002, Malawi 2008, Brazil 2010, and Zambia 2010). Seven samples show the same results as those found in developed countries: SES morality rate ratios consistently decrease with age.