Dependency Indicators Based on the SHARE Survey: Insights on Life Expectancy in Good Health

Life expectancy has steadily increased in Europe these past decades. In 2021, life expectancy at birth reached 85.5 years for women and 79.3 years for men, i.e. gains of 2.5 and 3.8 years respectively over the last twenty years. The goal of this paper is to contribute to the current discussions on the gaps between life expectancy and life expectancy in good health or with no dependency. To do this, we compute frequency rates based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) for three indicators: disability (GALI), dependency (ADL), and quality of life (CASP). Using population data to compute life expectancy at age 50, we follow the Sullivan (1971) methodology to incorporate the frequency rates in order to calculate life expectancy in good health for the three indicators. The results tend to confirm gender-based differences in terms of years of life lost, specifically to the disadvantage of women, due to their poorer health in relation to men their age. The article suggests using an objective measurement of health as the basis for any new health care policy focused on the risk of dependency. The ADL indicator seems to be the best option.