ABSTRACT
Trends in life expectancy (LE) and mortality patterns in Germany have become an intriguing subject for scientists and health-policy makers, due to the rapid social, political, and economic changes in Central and Eastern Europe since the end of the 1980s. This chapter aims to investigate to what extent trends in LE are influenced by political variables and socioeconomic characteristics that play a role at the regional level of the federal states in Germany. During the 20th century, the difference in LE between females and males increased from about 3 years to about 6 years. A special analysis of LE in Germany for 97 Regional Units was carried out for 1997 by P. Gans and colleagues. Given the national character of the German social insurance system and its primary role in providing direct services, there is only a certain degree of regional difference in the quality and quantity of services.
