Mapping inequalities in the health of older adults around the world: Heterogeneities in cognitive and physical functioning

The study maps global inequalities in the health of older adults using harmonised data from 11 ageing surveys covering 41 countries. We focus on three core indicators of cognitive and physical functioning that are crucial for independent living in later life: handgrip strength as a measure of physical functioning, and immediate word recall and verbal fluency as measures of cognitive functioning. Using Gini coefficients, a common metric for measuring inequality, we compare the dispersion of these outcomes across countries, age groups (50–84 years old), and gender.

A substantial cross-national heterogeneity is identified. Inequalities are generally larger for physical than for cognitive functioning, and are particularly pronounced in some African, Latin American, and Asian countries. Nations with better average cognitive performance tend to have more equal distributions. Gender patterns differ by domain: women show higher inequality in physical functioning, whereas men tend to show higher inequality in cognitive functioning. Inequalities also tend to rise with age, especially for cognitive outcomes, indicating that disadvantages accumulate over the life course.

Reference

Arnhold, T., Szenkurök, V., & Weber, D. (2025). Mapping inequalities in the health of older adults around the world: Heterogeneities in cognitive and physical functioning. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 23 10.1553/p-mcm9-5b3b.