Healthy longevity in the Asia–Pacific: a cross-national population-based modeling study

Abstract

Population aging in the Asia–Pacific will not proceed along the paths already followed by more developed countries, but differences in later-life health across the Asia–Pacific region are poorly understood. Using data from five harmonized longitudinal surveys in the region, we examine gender and cross-national differences in life expectancy (LE) and health expectancies (HEs) at age 50 in Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, and Indonesia. We adopt a microsimulation-based multistate life table model to provide estimates of HEs across four dimensions of health, including life expectancy free of poor self-related health, ADL disability, functional limitations, and chronic diseases. We find that older adults in the Asia–Pacific are experiencing substantially different regimes of health in later life, with cross-national differences arising across measures of health, over age, and between men and women. Older adults China and Indonesia experience more lifetime with physical limitations compared to those in Australia or Japan. Older adults in China spend a markedly higher proportion of remaining LE with chronic diseases compared to other countries. Our results provide much-needed evidence examining current conditions across the region, deepening understanding of how Asia–Pacific populations are currently fairing in terms of later-life health and functioning.