Abstract
Previous research into the relationship between income inequality and life expectancy has almost entirely focused on developed countries. If developing countries were included, these previous studies could only study the last decades. We assess the association between income inequality and life expectancy in Africa and Asia during the period from 1820 to 2000. We use anthropometric techniques, namely employing human stature and the coefficient of variation thereof as indicators, to extend the database by approximating values for life expectancy and inequality. We observe a statistically significant, negative correlation between life expectancy and income inequality over time and across countries, even controlling for income or poverty and other factors. Potential mechanisms could be the provision of public goods such as health care, or psychosocial mechanisms that compromise health in more unequal societies.
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