COVID-19 Increased Existing Gender Mortality Gaps in High-Income Countries More Than in Middle-Income Countries
Men die at higher rates in nearly all places and at all ages beyond age 45. Using World Health Organization excess mortality estimates by sex and age groups for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021, this paper analyzes how patterns of excess mortality varied by sex and age groups across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with country income level. In 2020, the pandemic amplified the gender mortality gap for the world, but with variation across countries and by country income level. In high-income countries, rates of excess mortality were much higher for men than women. In contrast, in middle-income countries, the sex ratio of excess mortality was similar to the sex ratio of expected all-cause mortality. The exacerbation of the sex ratio of excess mortality observed in 2020 in high-income countries declined in 2021, likely as a result of the faster rollout of vaccination against COVID-19.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2024-04-10
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| Subjects: | CORONAVIRUS, PANDEMIC, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, MORTALITY, GENDER, GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, SDG 3, GENDER EQUALITY, SDG 5, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099750404092472550/IDU159044c8b1b3ee146b01928c1b9248d269cce https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41396 |
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| Summary: | Men die at higher rates in nearly all
places and at all ages beyond age 45. Using World Health
Organization excess mortality estimates by sex and age
groups for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021,
this paper analyzes how patterns of excess mortality varied
by sex and age groups across countries during the COVID-19
pandemic and their association with country income level. In
2020, the pandemic amplified the gender mortality gap for
the world, but with variation across countries and by
country income level. In high-income countries, rates of
excess mortality were much higher for men than women. In
contrast, in middle-income countries, the sex ratio of
excess mortality was similar to the sex ratio of expected
all-cause mortality. The exacerbation of the sex ratio of
excess mortality observed in 2020 in high-income countries
declined in 2021, likely as a result of the faster rollout
of vaccination against COVID-19. |
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