Decomposition of life expectancy gaps by age between the Republic of Tuva and Moscow using the Arriaga method
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.7Keywords:
Arriaga decomposition, life expectancy, mortality, Russian region, Moscow, Republic of Tuva, Russia, age-specific mortality, demographic analysisAbstract
This study investigates the differences in life expectancy between Moscow and the Republic of Tuva in Russia by applying the Arriaga decomposition method. Using official mortality data from 2023, we have constructed life tables for both regions, revealing a life expectancy at birth of 76.9 years in Moscow and 66.7 years in Tuva, resulting in a gap of approximately 10.3 years. The decomposition analysis has shown that the majority of the life expectancy difference is attributed to higher mortality rates in young and middle adulthood (20–49 years) in Tuva. Mortality differences in infancy and old age also contribute to the gap, but to a lesser extent.
The findings reveal that age groups corresponding to young and middle adulthood make the largest contributions to the overall life expectancy disparity between the two regions. The study highlights that while differences exist at all stages of life, addressing mortality among working-age adults would have the greatest impact on narrowing the gap.
The aim of the study is to quantify the age-specific contributions to the life expectancy gap between Moscow and Tuva and to identify the critical age groups most responsible for the observed differences. By analyzing the decomposition of mortality differences across age groups, the study provides a detailed understanding of the demographic mechanisms driving regional disparities in life expectancy within Russia.
References
Andreev, E. M., Nolte, E., Shkolnikov, V. M., Varavikova, E. and McKee, M. (2003) The evolving pattern of avoidable mortality in Russia. International Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 437–446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyg085
Arriaga, E. E. (1984) Measuring and explaining the change in life expectancies. Demography, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 83–96. PMID: 6714492
Auger, N., Feuillet, P., Martel, S., Lo, E., Barry, A. D. and Harper, S. (2014) Mortality inequality in populations with equal life expectancy: Arriaga’s decomposition method in SAS, Stata, and Excel. Annals of Epidemiology, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 575–580. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.05.006
Brainerd, E. (2021) Mortality in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 557–576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41294-021-00169-w
Danilova, I., Shkolnikov, V. M., Andreev, E. and Leon, D. A. (2020) The changing relation between alcohol and life expectancy in Russia in 1965–2017. Drug and Alcohol Review, vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 790–796. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13034
Erdynieva, L. S. (2023) Health status and demographic processes of the population of the Republic of Tyva at the beginning of the XXI century. Medicine in Kuzbass, no. 1, pp. 81–88. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.24412/2687-0053-2023-1-81-88
Gunaev, E. A., Badmaeva, N. V. and Kovanova, E. S. (2019) Social insecurity indicators: Ethnoregional specifics in Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva. New Research of Tuva, no. 1, pp. 190–201. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2019.1.14
Ivanova, A. E., Semenova, V. G. and Sabgaida, T. P. (2021) Reserves for reducing mortality in Russia due to the efficiency of health care. Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences, vol. 91, no. 5, pp. 565–577. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S101933162105004X
Ivaschenko, O. (2005) The patterns and determinants of longevity in Russia’s regions: Evidence from panel data. Journal of Comparative Economics, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 788–813. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2005.03.012
Kalabikhina, I. (2001) The role of gender factor in population mortality. In: International Union for the Scientific Study of Population : The 24th General Population Conference (Salvador, Brazil, August 18–24, 2001). Available at: https://iussp.org/sites/default/files/Brazil2001/s60/S63_P18_Kalabikhina.pdf (accessed 24.04.2026).
Kuznetsova, P. O. (2020) Alcohol mortality in Russia: Assessment with representative survey data. Population and Economics, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 75–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/popecon.4.e51653
Muraveva, A. (2012) Higher male mortality in Russia: A synthesis of the literature : A master’s thesis. Indianapolis, IN. 68 p.
Neufeld, M., Ferreira-Borges, C., Gil, A., Manthey, J. and Rehm, J. (2020) Alcohol policy has saved lives in the Russian Federation. International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 80, art. 102636. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.102636
Nikoloski, Z., Shkolnikov, V. M. and Mossialos, E. (2023) Preventable mortality in the Russian Federation: A retrospective, regional level study. The Lancet Regional Health — Europe, vol. 29, art. 100631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100631
Sabgaida, T. P., Rudnev, S. G., Zubko, A. V. and Evdokushkina, G. N. (2023) Preventable mortality in the Republic of Tuva and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on it. New Research of Tuva, no. 2, pp. 50–69. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2023.2.4
Shartova, N., Tikunov, V. and Chereshnya, O. (2021) Health disparities in Russia at the regional and global scales. International Journal for Equity in Health, vol. 20, art. 163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01502-6
Shchur, A. E. and Timonin, S. A. (2020) Center-peripheral differences in life expectancy in Russia: Regional analysis. Demographic Review, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 108–133. (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/demreview.v7i3.11638
Shchur, A., Shkolnikov, V. M., Timonin, S., Andreev, E. and Leon, D. A. (2021) Where do people live longer in Russia in the 21st century? Life expectancy across urban and rural areas. Population and Development Review, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 1049–1074. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12437
Timonin, S., Danilova, I., Andreev, E. and Shkolnikov, V. M. (2017) Recent mortality trend reversal in Russia: Are regions following the same tempo? European Journal of Population, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 733–763. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-017-9451-3
Timonin, S., Jasilionis, D., Shkolnikov, V. M. and Andreev, E. (2020) New perspective on geographical mortality divide in Russia: A district-level cross-sectional analysis, 2008–2012. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 74, no. 2, pp. 144–150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2019-213239
Zelenina, A. (2024) Regional deprivation and cause-specific mortality in Russian adults in 2006–2022. Global Health Journal, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 190–205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glohj.2024.11.006
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
How to Cite
Ryazantsev S. V., RakhmonovA. Kh. and Ryazantsev N. S. Decomposition of life expectancy gaps by age between the Republic of Tuva and Moscow using the Arriaga method. New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 2, pp. 95-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.7
Для цитирования:
Ryazantsev S. V., RakhmonovA. Kh. and Ryazantsev N. S. Decomposition of life expectancy gaps by age between the Republic of Tuva and Moscow using the Arriaga method // Новые исследования Тувы. 2026. № 2. С. 95-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.2.7
Supporting Agencies
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Author(s) license holder(s) grant rights for their work to the journal (grantee of a license) under the simple non-exclusive open license in accordance with Art. 1286.1 «Open license for a research work, work of literature or fine arts», Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
New Research of Tuva publishes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license (CC BY-NC).
Since it is an open license, author(s) reserve the right to upload the article to their institutional repository, submit it to another journal (if it allows republications), or republish it on their own website (in full, or in part).
However, several conditions apply here:
a) The republished version must always contain the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s), the original title and the hyperlink to the original version on the New Research of Tuva website;
b) It must be in open access, free of charge, and no category of readers must be in any way whatsoever advantaged over general readership.
c) should the contribution be submitted elsewhere by its author(s) without substantial modification (30% or more of original text unchanged), the body of the article should contain a disclaimer that the original version was published in New Research of Tuva (with a link to the respective page)
The CC-BY-NC is a non-revocable license which applies worldwide and lasts for the duration of the work’s copyright.



