Trends in Health Expectancy and Its Macroeconomic Correlates among Working-Age Men and Women in Contemporary Russia

Yuka Minagawa, Waseda University

Using data from the 1994-2009 Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE), this study examines trends in health expectancy among working-age individuals in contemporary Russia. The macro-level correlates of health expectancy are also identified. The analyses from the Sullivan method show that Russians have experienced substantial improvements in health-related quality of life throughout the post-Soviet period, suggesting that people are now living longer and healthier lives. Also, macroeconomic indicators, including per-person GDP, unemployment rates, and inflation rates, are closely associated with health expectancy. Efforts toward stabilizing the country’s macroeconomic circumstances might yield health benefits for Russians.