A Systematic Review of Sociodemographic, Macroeconomic, and Health Resources Factors on Life Expectancy

Objective This review was aimed at systematically synthesizing and appraising the existing literature of sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. Methods A systematic literature search of English databases, that is, PubMed/MEDLINE were scrutinized for exploring sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. The literature search was conducted in January 2020, covering a total of 46 articles from 2004 to 2019 met the review criteria, which were fully discussed subsequently. Findings Among sociodemographic factors, infant mortality rate, literacy rate, education level, socioeconomic status, population growth, and gender inequality have a significant impact on life expectancy. Gross domestic product, Gini, income level, unemployment rate, and inflation rate are the main macroeconomic factors that significantly correlated with life expectancy. Among various health care resources, health care facilities, the number of the health care profession, public health expenditure, death rates, smoking rate, pollution, and vaccinations had a significant correlation with life expectancy. Conclusions The systematic review showed general conformity of different studies, with a significant association between life expectancy and factors comprising several sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and various health care variables. This review found that only one study examined factors affecting life expectancy in Arabic countries. More studies on this region to fill this research gap were highly recommended.

Automated summary

This systematic review synthesizes and appraises the impact of sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. The findings suggest that factors such as infant mortality rate, literacy rate, education level, GDP, income level, and healthcare facilities have significant correlations with life expectancy. Notably, more research is needed in Arabic countries to address the research gap in this area.