Life Expectancy by Education, Income and Occupation in Germany: Estimations Using the Longitudinal Survival Method

Abstract

Reliable estimates for differences in life expectancy (LE) by socio-economic position (SEP), that can be assessed in an international context and are comprehensive in terms of considering different SEP dimensions, are missing for the German population so far. The aim of the present study is to fill this gap by providing estimates for differences in LE by education, household income, work status and vocational class. The lack of national mortality data by SEP required an innovative methodological approach to estimate LE from survey data with a mortality follow-up. The main strengths of the method are the low demand on the data, its simple applicability and the estimation of a set of age-specific probabilities of dying. We employed the method to the German Life Expectancy Survey and estimated period life tables for 45 male and 32 female SEP subpopulations. The results show striking differences in LE across all analysed SEP indicators. Among men, LE at age 40 ranges by more than five years between the lowest and highest household income quartiles, more than six years between individuals with low and high education, around ten years across the work status groups, and almost 15 years across the vocational classes. The proportion of those who reach the classic pension age of 65 years also varies considerably, as does the remaining LE at this age. The corresponding differences among women are smaller, yet still notable. The results yield an interesting finding for the ongoing discussion about the various consequences of an increased pension age. Moreover, they provide policy-makers, doctors, researchers and public health workers with insights into Germany’s most disadvantaged SEP subpopulations and the potential extent of their disadvantages in terms of longevity and mortality.

Marked Disparities in Life Expectancy by Education, Poverty Level, Occupation, and Housing Tenure in the United States, 1997-2014

“…15 Although SES groups were slightly different, education and income/poverty differences (the highest SES group – the lowest SES group) in male and female life expectancy were much smaller in Canada (5 to 8 years) 12 compared with 11 to 16 years noted in our US study. In a German study, 26 differences in life expectancy at age 40 between the highest and lowest educated men and women were 6.3 and 2.3 years respectively, considerably smaller than the corresponding difference of 11 years for men and women in our study. Income differences in life expectancy were also smaller for Germany than for the US.…”

“…The findings of our study are consistent with those from previous studies of individual-level socioeconomic differentials in life expectancy. 12 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 26 , 27 Rogot and colleagues found a difference in life expectancy at age 25 of 6 years for white men and 5 years for white women between the highest (master’s degree or higher) and lowest (less than high school) education levels, much smaller than the education differentials shown in our study. 15 Consistent with our study, higher income was associated with higher life expectancy in the Rogot et al study; however, the corresponding income/poverty differential in life expectancy in our study (11 years) was substantially greater than the difference of 5 years reported in their study.…”

“…Occupational differences in life expectancy in Germany were similar to those found in our study, with life expectancy of German men at age 40 ranging from 30 years for manual, unskilled workers to 39 years for those in professional and technical occupations. 26 In England and Wales, the difference in life expectancy at birth between professional/managerial occupations and routine manual occupations (laborers, lorry drivers, and bar staff) was 6 years for men and 4 years for women. 27 This is substantially smaller than the occupational difference in life expectancy noted for the US in our study.…”

Inhomogenous risk exposure in dual insurance system: selection effects in Germany’s long-term care plans

“…These age levels are relevant for the overall expenditures of PPV, as the life expectancy of the PPV enrollees is higher than for the average population (zur Nieden and Altis 2017; Gartmann 2004;Luy et al 2015). It is therefore a priory unclear, whether risk exposure works in favor of PPV, as is often claimed (Zimmermann et al 2019; Schulz-Asche 2019; Greß 2019; Rothgang 2018a).…”

Happiness and life expectancy by main occupational position among older workers: Who will live longer and happy?

“… Lyu and colleagues (2015) analyzed life expectancy by education, income, and occupation in Germany and found substantial differences between socioeconomic groups. Regarding occupation, their results pointed to a 7-year difference between the lowest and the highest position, and the gap was larger at the age of 40 than at 65 years old and larger among men than women.…”