A Cross-National Comparison of Health Inequalities and Health Expectancy: The Case of Roma Populations in Europe

Lina Lasar , Vienna Institute of Demography
Marc Luy, Vienna Institute of Demography

Existing research suggests that Europe’s largest minority, Roma populations, experience significantly poorer health outcomes than non-Roma populations. However, cross-national quantitative evidence remains limited. This study provides the first comparative assessment of health expectancy (HE) at age 50 and predicted health probabilities between Roma and national populations across European countries. Using data from the 2016 and 2019 Roma Surveys (EU Agency for Fundamental Rights) and EU-SILC, we analyse self-rated health, chronic illness, and activity limitations. Predicted probabilities reveal consistently poorer health among Roma, especially Roma women, compared to both Roma men and national populations, with inequalities are especially pronounced in older ages. Health expectancy, estimated using the Sullivan method, shows that Roma at age 50 live significantly fewer years without limitations: 4.1 years in Croatia to 12.0 years in Portugal for women and 4.5 years in Croatia to 13.6 years in Portugal for men. Gaps compared to national populations range from -0.7 years in Portugal to -22.4 years in Sweden for women and -1.6 years in Portugal to -22.1 years in Sweden for men. These results indicate that Roma populations in Europe face both shorter lifespans and a greater number of years spent in poor health compared to national populations in all investigated countries. These findings highlight persistent and substantial health inequalities across Europe, reflecting disadvantages in daily life.

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 Presented in Session P5. Health, Mortality, and Ageing 1