Provincial Mortality of Chinese Oldest Old

Hui Liu, University of Texas at Austin

Population aged 80 and above are the fastest growing age group in China. Death is much more closely related to those oldest olds’ everyday life than any other age groups. However, oldest old mortality is not yet well learned in China, especially at provincial level. Based on Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) 1998-2000 longitudinal data, we use multinomial logistic regression to analyze provincial differentials in Chinese oldest old mortality. We find that Chinese oldest old have different death risks across provinces. Provincial differentials in Chinese oldest old mortality vary by both gender and rural-urban residence. Although provincial differentials in oldest old morality exist in rural China, they show little evidence in urban China. This paper also provides evidence of urban advantages in oldest old morality for females, but not for males. Finally, we find that selection effects happen not only between rural and urban areas but also across provinces.