Changes in life expectancy in Sri Lanka and Kerala: An analysis of its patterns and causes

Although life expectancy increased significantly from 1920 to 1970 in Sri Lanka and Kerala, its subsequent increase has been modest with divergent trends. This study investigates the trends by analysing the contributions of age groups and causes of death on changing life expectancies from 1970-to 2019. Using the methodology proposed by (Olshansky and Ault, 1986), the Temporary Life Expectancy (TLE) was estimated and decomposition of life expectancy by age and causes of death was carried out. The TLE values show that further potential gain to life expectancy increments in Sri Lanka and Kerala is in the older ages while the decomposition analysis indicates that the contribution of older ages to life expectancy was minimal. Furthermore, the contributions of many degenerative and non-communicable diseases were either low or detrimental, especially in the older ages. Even though there are many programmes and policies launched to address the challenges of degenerative and non-communicable diseases, the impact of such ongoing interventions could take some time to reflect in life expectancy increments.