Association between demographic and health indicators among 174 countries, 2004-2011

Introduction: Human resources are one of the most important factors in developing of countries and have a considerable role in the developing status of countries. Hence, our aim in this study was to assess the relationship between health indicators and population indexes (population growth and composition). Methods: The present study was conducted using panel data from 176 countries during 8 years from 2004 to 2011. Data were obtained from World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank and analyzed with generalized linear square regression models using Stata version 10. Results: Our findings showed a significant association between health indicators (life expectancy at birth and infant mortality rate) and population indexes (sex ratio, residential status, and dependent population). Life expectancy was decreased by 0.35 with one unit increase in the dependent population. Furthermore, there was inequality in life expectancy among rural an urban subjects and was higher among urban subjects. Conclusion: There is a significant association between health indicators with age, sex, and residential status of the population. Planning and need assessment for population structure should be done by managers and policy makers.