Impact of Urbanization on Mortality in China

Empirical Analysis Based on Panel Data of 245 Prefecture-level Cities

Abstract

Since the reform and opening up, the level of urbanization in China has been increasing. Urbanization has not only promoted economic growth and medical care, but also caused traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and resource depletion, and the impact of urbanization on residents' health has received increasing attention. The article analyzes the impact of urbanization on residential mortality at a national scale using panel data at the prefecture-level city level from 2010-2018, and the results show that urbanization causes a significant increase in residential mortality in China, and there are large regional differences in the impact of urbanization on mortality. Therefore, local governments should improve the level of urbanization while avoiding environmental pollution and excessive resource consumption and improving environmental quality as much as possible. At the same time, the government should improve the social security system in urban and rural areas, increase investment in infrastructure and public health services, and narrow the gap between urban and rural areas in order to improve the health of the population and reduce mortality.