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Understanding the “Russian Mortality Paradox” in Central Asia: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

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Demography

Abstract

In the former Soviet republics of central Asia, ethnic Russians have exhibited higher adult mortality than native ethnic groups (e.g., Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek) in spite of the higher socioeconomic status of ethnic Russians. The mortality disadvantage of ethnic Russians at adult ages appears to have even increased since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The most common explanation for this “Russian mortality paradox,” is that deaths are better reported among ethnic Russians. In this study, we use detailed mortality data from Kyrgyzstan between 1959 and 1999 to evaluate various explanations for the Russian mortality paradox: data artifacts, migration effects, and cultural effects. We find that the most plausible explanation is the cultural hypothesis because the personal behaviors that appear to generate a large part of the observed mortality differences (alcohol consumption, in particular) seem to be closely tied to cultural practices. We examine the implications of this finding for understanding the health crisis in post-Soviet states.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R03-HD38752 and R01-HD045531). The authors thank Zarylbek Kudabaev, former chairman of the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Orozmat Abdykalykov, its current chairman, for giving us access to much of the data used in this article; and Liudmila Torgashova, Larissa Mimbaeva, and Elena Komandirova for supervising the data collection in Kyrgyzstan. Anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments on earlier versions of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Michel Guillot

  2. Center on Aging, NORC/University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Natalia Gavrilova

  3. Population Research Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

    Tetyana Pudrovska

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  1. Michel Guillot
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  2. Natalia Gavrilova
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  3. Tetyana Pudrovska
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Correspondence to Michel Guillot.

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Guillot, M., Gavrilova, N. & Pudrovska, T. Understanding the “Russian Mortality Paradox” in Central Asia: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan. Demography 48, 1081–1104 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-011-0036-1

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