Are older adults in China living longer happy years? A cohort-based multistate analysis, 2002–2018

Abstract China’s rapid population ageing raises the question of whether added years of life are also happy years. Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2002–2018), we applied a cohort-based multistate life table method to estimate partial-cohort happy life expectancies—expected total years and years lived in a happy state within specific age ranges—for paired birth cohorts born 10 years apart. We find that later-born cohorts experienced statistically significant increases in the proportion of life spent happy across all age ranges, driven by gains in absolute years of happy life while total life expectancy remained largely stable—a pattern consistent with a “compression of unhappiness”. However, these cohort improvements were unevenly distributed. Females experienced larger gains than males in both absolute and relative terms, reversing an initial disadvantage in happy life expectancy. Meanwhile, urban residents and those with formal education saw greater improvements than their rural and less-educated counterparts, widening socioeconomic disparities in happy longevity. By introducing a cohort perspective and measures of happiness, this study expands the discussion on healthy longevity trends among older adults, highlighting the importance of equitable happy longevity in ageing societies.