As individuals age, the differences decrease. At 60 years of age, the difference between the life expectancy of a nonwhite man from Alagoas and a white woman from Santa Catarina reaches 4.83 years. At 80 years of age, the difference is only 1.4 years. According to the study, this distance synthesizes the overlapping of three historical dimensions of Brazilian inequality: regional differences, differentials between men and women, and racial gaps.
The study shows that the lowest levels of life expectancy of the nonwhite population are concentrated mainly in states in the Northeast and part of the North. The highest levels appear mainly in the South and Southeast. Among nonwhite men, Alagoas has the worst result in the country. Among nonwhite women, the territorial pattern is repeated, although with higher absolute levels.
The study also identified that "racial gaps" — the difference in life expectancy between whites and nonwhites — vary significantly between Brazilian states. Pernambuco had the smallest difference observed, of 3.38 years, while Roraima recorded the highest, of 8.47 years. In most of the country, however, the gap is around 4.5 years. The research also reinforces the fact that racial inequality in mortality does not result from a single factor. It is associated with socioeconomic conditions, unequal access to education, basic sanitation, drinking water, health, and exposure to violence.
In the case of black men, violence appears as a central element. Previous studies of the same project have shown that nearly half of the difference in life expectancy between white and nonwhite men is related to so-called external causes — especially homicides and violent deaths concentrated among young people aged 15 to 29. The data reveal that early mortality in this age group has a disproportionate impact on the life expectancy of the nonwhite male population. If there were no such excess mortality from external causes, the difference in life expectancy between white and nonwhite men could be smaller by up to three years. Among women, the pattern is different. The greatest contribution to the racial differential is concentrated in cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and respiratory diseases, especially between 35 and 59 years of age.
In addition to the substantive results, the study draws attention to its methodological complexity. As Brazil still does not have fully consolidated official statistics on mortality by skin color at the state level, the research developed an indirect estimation system capable of combining multiple databases.
IBGE records, SUS data, information from the Atlas of Human Development and demographic models developed by Cedeplar/UFMG and IMDS were used. The methodology went through five successive stages of calibration and validation, seeking to make regional results compatible with the official national statistics. For this reason, the results should not be interpreted as directly observed measures, but as statistical approximations built from explicit hypotheses and rigorous validation mechanisms.
On average, women live longer than men. Whites live longer than nonwhites. Residents of the South and Southeast live longer than those of the North and Northeast. When these dimensions combine, the result is a demographic map marked by extreme contrasts. More than a statistical picture, the study suggests that life expectancy is also an indicator of the opportunities distributed by society. In summary, longevity in Brazil continues to be determined not only by biology, but by social inequalities accumulated throughout life.
