If you are poor, you die sooner

In Germany, the life depends on maintenance with the income: Overall, significantly fewer women and men with the lowest income, the 65. Age, than people with the highest income. According to new analysis by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the "Journal of Health Monitoring" are published.

Before the age of 65. Year of life die 13 percent of women and 27 percent of men with the lowest income. In the highest income group, in contrast, only eight percent of women and 14 percent of men. These social differences in life expectancy have remained constant over the past 25 years, relatively stable, as the study authors report. The data for the analysis of the life expectancy derived from the German socio-economic Panel of the German Institute for economic research, and from mortality tables of the Federal Statistical office.

The RKI researchers also examined the average life expectancy at birth and put in relation to income. The results showed: women in the highest Income group live an average of 4.4 years longer than women with the lowest income. In men, the difference was even higher, at 8.6 years.

Such correlations between income and life expectancy, according to the RKI scientists in other European countries, including the United Kingdom and Norway. For both countries had been shown that the social differences in life expectancy in the course of the last decades have increased.

NK