High Life Expectancy of Muscovites Over Age 80: Reality or a Statistical Artifact?

Abstract

The mortality of advanced-age residents of Russia has remained stable and high for several decades. However, the steady increase in life expectancy that started in the mid-2000s is largely due to decreased mortality among the elderly. The decrease in mortality among Moscow residents over age 80 was especially large during this period. We found evidence of a systematic deviation of these dynamics from the patterns observed in countries with reliable mortality statistics. Assuming that the patterns observed in these countries are applicable to Russia, we took the possible underestimation of mortality into account and corrected the life expectancy estimates for the residents of Moscow, Russia, and the Central Federal District at age 80, at retirement age, and at birth.