Human Health and Worker Productivity: Evidence from Middle-Income Countries

This study examines the influence of health status indicators on labour productivity across a panel of 75 middle-income countries (MIC) for the period 1991–2016. It is primarily the worker’s health condition that determines a country’s economic growth rate at the aggregate level, yet the micro-foundations of this relationship across diverse middle-income contexts remain underexplored. The analysis investigates the extent to which multiple health indicators — including life expectancy, mortality rates, and health expenditure — influence output per person. Empirical results provide robust evidence of health-productivity linkages across the MIC panel, with implications for health investment policy and the design of human capital strategies in developing and emerging economies.