Facts Developed nations now spend more money on health care than the poorest half of the world spends on all items. Health and Hierarchy A 20-year study by M.G. Marmot of more than 10,000 British civil servants found that an individual's standing in the social hierarchy was highly correlated with life expectancy. Among males aged 40-64, the death rate was about three and a half times higher for those in clerical jobs as for those in administrative jobs. None of those studied were living in poverty, and all had access to Britain's socialized health care system. The study found this status-related risk factor to be more significant in determining death than smoking, high blood pressure, or cholesterol.
Inequality also has a profound effect on mortality.
Life expectancy of those living in impoverished countries increases as the GNP per capita increases. In the developed world, the countries where income differentials between rich and poor are smallest have the highest average life expectancy. In Context, No. 39.