Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (a member of the CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
PLoS One. 2019 May 2;14(5):e0215742. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215742. eCollection 2019.
Using data from the UN World Population Prospects, we document global trends in lifespan inequality from 1950 until 2015. Our findings indicate that (i) there has been a sustained decline in overall lifespan inequality, (ii) adult lifespan variability has also declined, but some plateaus and trend reversals have been identified, (iii) lifespan inequality among the elderly has increased virtually everywhere, and (iv) most of the world variability in age-at-death can be attributed to within-country variability. Such changes have occurred against a backdrop of generalized longevity increases. Our analyses suggest that the world is facing a new challenge: the emergence of diverging trends in longevity and age-at-death inequality among the elderly around the globe-particularly in high-income areas. As larger fractions of the world population survive to more advanced ages, it will be necessary for national and international health planners to recognize the growing heterogeneity that characterizes older populations.
利用联合国世界人口展望的数据，我们记录了 1950 年至 2015 年期间全球寿命不平等的趋势。我们的研究结果表明：（i）总体寿命不平等持续下降；（ii）成年人寿命的可变性也有所下降，但也发现了一些停滞和趋势逆转；（iii）全球老年人之间的寿命不平等几乎无处不在增加；（iv）全球大多数死亡年龄的变异性可以归因于国内的变异性。这些变化是在普遍长寿增加的背景下发生的。我们的分析表明，世界正面临一个新的挑战：全球老年人的寿命和死亡年龄不平等的趋势正在出现分歧——尤其是在高收入地区。随着世界上越来越多的人口能够活到更高龄，国家和国际卫生规划者有必要认识到老年人口日益增长的异质性。
