Using Eurostat data from 2001 to 2019, researchers compared mortality trends in European countries differentially affected by the 2008 financial crisis. Life expectancy increased faster in countries where unemployment rose most sharply (Greece, Spain) than in less-affected countries (Germany). The mortality improvement persisted through 2019 even as economic indicators recovered, suggesting asymmetric rather than procyclical links between economic cycles and mortality.
Why it is interesting: Challenges the established procyclical model of mortality response to economic downturns in developed countries.