The Lifespan Disparity Dataset (LDD): An open repository on inequality and polarization in length of life (1950-2021)

This database includes a comprehensive set of estimates of length of life inequality and polarization for 258 countries/areas for the period 1950-2021.

The Database:

The database can be accessed at https://osf.io/8ru5c/. The dataset contains seven files with information on national and regional estimates of inequality and polarization in the length of life for 258 countries/areas for each year from 1950 to 2021.

1. MAY2024_both_total includes the estimates for the whole population.
2. MAY2024_both_15 gathers the data for the population aged over 15.
3. MAY2024_female_total stores the estimates for all women.
4. MAY2024_female_15 includes the estimates for women aged over 15.
5. MAY2024_male-total gathers the estimates for the male population.
6. MAY2024_male_total provides estimates only for men aged over 15.
7. quality_data gathers information on the type of data used to build our estimates for each country and year, retrieved from past editions of the Demographic Year Book National.

Replication Code

This repository includes code to compute and assemble the database and the tables and figures presented in the paper:

1. ineq_both.R can be used to reproduce the estimates on polarization and inequality for both sexes, including the whole population and only those individuals aged over 15.
2. ineq_female.R can be used to reproduce the estimates on polarization and inequality for the female population, including the whole population and only those individuals aged over 15.
3. ineq_male.R can be used to reproduce the estimates on polarization and inequality for the male population, including the whole population and only those individuals aged over 15.

To run any of the codes above, data from World Population Prospects on abridged life tables available at https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Mortality/ must be downloaded.

4. example_dist.R reproduces Figure 1.
5. maps.R generates Figure 2.
6. scatter.R generates Figure 3.
7. table_quality.R reproduces Table 2.