摘要
In the past 30 years,the life expectancy in China continues to rise yet at a slower pace because of,in large part,the heavy burden of chronic diseases on older age groups.Based on data obtained from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2019 and the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019,this study applies Arriaga’s decomposition method to decompose the age/cause-specific contributions to life expectancy gap between China and South Korea during 1990-2019,which could provide understanding on mortality patterns and heavy burden by chronic disease resulting from an aging society.The study has found that the life expectancy gap between these two countries for females has remained constant,while that of males has been increasing during the same period.Another finding is that non-communicable diseases,like cardiovascular diseases among the elderly(aged 60+),explain a large and enlarging part of the life expectancy gap between China and South Korea,especially among males.In addition,maternal and neonatal disorders among children(age group 1-4ys)contribute less and less to life expectancy gap.Those observations suggest a convergence of mortality pattern among younger age groups as well as the continued existence of substantial gaps among older age groups.Additionally,given the precedent of South Korea,China should also take suicide as another issue with greater attention in the future.Finally,this study concludes by suggesting targeted public health policies to reduce mortality in certain age groups and save more lives from certain diseases.
