Social Determinants of Health Inequalities—A Global Perspective Study

Abstract

Health inequalities persist among all countries in the world. These health inequalities are usually explained by health behaviors and social conditions in which people work and live. This paper aims to investigate the relative contribution of the social determinants to health inequalities in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. Data from these three groups of countries was obtained from the UN and World Bank platforms. The VARSEL combinatorial technique was used to measure health inequalities through its proxy variable life expectancy at birth and the contribution of social determinants across the three groups of countries. The magnitude of the impact of social determinants on health inequalities varied considerably between countries. While poverty issues and unemployment were found to contribute to the explanation of life expectancy inequalities in low-income countries, educational and unemployment determinants emerged as the leading causes of life expectancy inequalities across middle-income countries and immigration together with the working conditions were mostly contributing determinants for high-income countries. The observed effects of different social determinants on health inequalities across the world point out that tackling health inequality should be a task that goes beyond focusing on a single social determinant.