Geopolitical transitions and the evolution of mortality in the countries of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1920
Abstrakt
In the 20th century, mortality level in most of Europe has changed dramatically, resulting in a doubling of the life expectancy. The pattern of this change; however, was very uneven among the countries.
Not surprisingly, the dividing line emerged in the area between the east and the west part of the continent, which, in the last 100 years, commonly experienced historical upheavals. Four countries in particular located in the centre of Europe, demonstrate the relation between the historical and political changes and mortality trends: Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which were all under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the beginning of the 20th century.
The use of a long-term demographic statistics complemented by a spatial analysis for the year 2014, highlighted the fact that these countries belonged to different geopolitical entities and therefore led to distinct changes in the life expectancy. Today, these countries display mortality patterns that differ from each other not only in scope but also by internal differences.