Death in Town and Country. An Analysis of Urban‐Rural Differences in Mortality

Abstract

Based on the premise that types of death express differences in lifestyle, this article studies differences in causes of death between rural and urban habitats. This empirical analysis covers all deaths registered during the three‐year period from 1990 to 1992 in Spain, classified according to the following variables: age, sex, cause of death covering twenty‐seven categories, and town of residence. The analysis carried out shows convergence between urban and rural life expectancy. It is no longer the case that the rural population has a higher mortality rate because of a comparatively low socio‐economic level and poorer health care. In fact, the differences noted offer greater life expectancy in the rural environment although the difference of only one year is a relatively short period, hardly justifying the suggestion that improved environmental quality lengthens life expectancy ‐especially taking into account that the extra year occurs at an advanced age. Also of relevance here is the fact that the differences are mostly seen amongst men, whereas amongst women the differences in life expectancy are minimal.