Trends in inequality in length of life in India: a decomposition analysis by age and causes of death

BACKGROUND: Studies dealing with trends in inequality in length of life in India are rare. Studies documenting the contribution of age and causes of death to the inequality in length of life are more limited. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to examine the trends in inequality in length of life in India and 15 major states of India and to decompose the inequality in length of life into the contributions of age and causes of death. METHOD: We use life table Gini coefficient (G (0)) to measure the inequality in length of life. We use the formulae developed by Shkolnikov, Andreev, and Begun (DR 8(11):305–358, 2003) to decompose the differences between Gini coefficients by age and cause of death. RESULT: The G (0) for men has declined from 0.32 in 1981 to 0.19 in 2011. For women, G (0) has decreased from 0.31 in 1981 to 0.22 in 2011. Mortality decline in the age group 0–1 year has contributed most to the decrease in G (0). In contrast, mortality decline in 60+ has tended to increase the G (0). The state-wide variations in the age-specific contributions to decrease in G (0) were stark. The contribution of noncommunicable diseases to the male-female gap in G (0) has increased between 1990 and 2010. Injuries at ages from 20 to 39 years also contributed to the male-female difference in G (0) in 2010. CONCLUSION: Future studies must analyze inequality in life expectancy for assessing the performance of societies regarding length of life. CONTRIBUTION: This is the first study that provides compelling evidence on inequality in length of life in India and its major states.