The role of expected years of schooling among life expectancy determinants

Abstract

Increasing life expectancy at birth is a huge achievement for a society; however it also brings many challenges and requires a society to constantly adapt to demographic consequences. In our research, we investigate life expectancy determinants and the role of a country's education level among them. Using multiple regression analysis on cross-section data of 187 countries around the world we confirm our main research thesis that a country's education level is an important determinant of life expectancy at birth and three separate hypotheses regarding life expectancy determinants. The main contribution of this research is the empirically tested regression model of life expectancy determinants. The results of the research confirm a strong importance of a country's education level and imply that societies should encourage education among young people as well as education of adults through lifelong learning programmes.