Floating Life Expectancy in China

Wei Chen, Renmin University of China
Jinju Liu, Beijing City University

China had a floating population of 221 million according to the 2010 census. However, China’s floating migrants do not have citizenship in the cities they live. How long do the floating migrants stay in the cities? This paper develops a measure of time duration spent in the floating status of the population using life table techniques, that is, floating life expectancy. Borrowing the idea of healthy life expectancy by Sullivan method, age-specific mortality and proportions of being in the floating status of the population are incorporated, thus life expectancy and floating life expectancy are generated. Floating life expectancy in China has doubled over the last decade, from 5.4 years in 2000 to 10.8 years in 2010. Male floating life expectancy was about half year more than that of female. The very large and rapidly expanding floating population with rapidly lengthening floating life expectancy poses considerable urban policy and planning challenges.