A new report finds that health status inequality continues to be serious in South Korea.
According to a report published Wednesday in the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs’ journal on health and welfare, the inequality in health status among South Koreans was consistent in line with income, social status, academic background and region.
In particular, inequalities in healthy life expectancy and life expectancy were wide based on income and region.
According to the report, the life expectancy of people in the top 20 percent of the income distribution stood at 85-point-one while their healthy life expectancy reached 72-point-two.
Meanwhile, the life expectancy of those in the bottom 20 percent stood at 78-point-six and their healthy life expectancy reached 60-point-nine. This means high-income earners tended to maintain a healthy life for some eleven years longer than low-income earners.
Life expectancy is defined as how long, on average, a newborn can expect to live and healthy life expectancy refers to the average number of years that a newborn can expect to live in good health.