On the Impact of Income per Capita on Health Outcomes: Is Africa Different?

Abstract

This paper examines the link between income per capita, adult life expectancy and mortality rates for children. We estimate a dynamic panel model using data from 128 developing countries and find that all else equal external (i.e., non-country specific) factors have a positive and significant impact on health outcomes, and this effect has increased over time; countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have a higher mortality rate and lower life expectancy than non-SSA countries and the effect of income per capita on health outcomes is different for SSA countries.