PRE-COVID MORTALITY IN NORTH OSSETIA-ALANIA

ABSTRACT

North Ossetia-Alania (NOA) regional mortality over thirty years of transition is described in detail for the first time. Though NOA and other Caucasus regions are perceived to have higher life expectancy than Russia overall, we find that, like the rest of Russia, men live much shorter lives in both rural and urban areas. Urban mortality is lower for most causes of death than rural mortality with women in particular showing improvements in lowering mortality and higher life expectancy at birth. Male mortality across all ages is better in the 21st century than the 1990s but has not improved recently relative to the early 2000s. Sigma and beta mortality divergence reveal little improvement in male mortality relative to female mortality with the gender gap unchanged since the Soviet era which is unusual at the regional level. Nostalgia for Soviet era health systems is misplaced as health has improved since then especially like other regions in the area of infant mortality and deaths before the age of 5. Policy recommendations include moving some health care out of the capital of Vladikavkaz to take advantage of relatively lower rural mortality as well as promoting more rural economic development.