The socioeconomic and political determinants of life expectancy in selected countries of the world

Background: increasing life expectancy has been considered as an evident indicator of demographic change, and most countries have experienced a significant increase in life expectancy. this study aimed to identify the economic, social, and political determinants of life expectancy and to estimate their related effects. methods: based on the theoretical background and grossman health production function, the econometric model is specified to investigate the effects of economic, social and political factors on life expectancy at birth. in this regard, panel data of 98 selected countries obtained from world bank during 2000-2016 is used and gls approach is applied. estimations are conducted by software stata 16. results: the econometric results show that gdp per capita, literacy rate, health expenditure per capita and democracy impact the life expectancy positively. reversely, gdp per capita squared (in logarithm) influence life expectancy negatively. the results indicate at the per capita income of equivalent to 20000 us$, 1% increase in gdp per capita causes 0.205%, 0.207% and 0.209% increase in life expectancy for total population, males and females, respectively. conclusion: positive effect of economic variables of gdp per capita and health expenditure per capita on life expectancy conducts the adoption of policies and interventions to improve economic status on a global scale, especially in poor and low-income countries. also, the provision of educational opportunities, especially in low-income countries, and the transition from autocratic political systems to democratic societies may result in longevity and increase the supply of labor in the long run.