This paper introduces a decomposition method that quantifies the contributions to common prosperity of labor market performance and social policies and extends the idea of shared prosperity to a new measure of inequity in opportunities. The resulting common prosperity indices and opportunity equality indices are then applied to five waves of the Chinese Household Income Project data from 1988 to 2018. This paper shows that the labor market performance and social policies have been improving over the last 30 years and have helped China move towards common prosperity for everyone. The indices developed in this paper allow us to quantify the extent of shared prosperity that a country has achieved and to carry out empirical studies on which policy is working and which is not. It can also help us identify the fundamental causes of inequality and aid us in achieving equality in opportunity among all members of society.

Universal health coverage (UHC) is a core element of Sustainable Development Goals and has become a global healthcare priority. China has been committing to provide all citizens with affordable and equitable basic healthcare over past decades. However, progress towards UHC in China has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the progress towards UHC in China by examining trends in service coverage and financial protection from 1993 to 2018, and estimating the probability of achieving UHC targets by 2030. Following the framework proposed by World Health Organization and World Bank, we selected 12 prevention service indicators, 12 treatment service indicators, and two financial protection indicators to evaluate China's progress towards UHC. We used data from four nationally representative household surveys to assess the trends in service coverage and financial protection between 1993 and 2018, as well as their inequalities across subgroups. Meta-analysis was used to construct the composite prevention and treatment indices. The regression-based relative index of inequality was used to measure the income-related inequality of UHC indicators. Bayesian linear regression was conducted to predict progress towards UHC by 2030, and the probability of achieving UHC targets. Of the 24 service coverage indicators used in this study, most of them experienced improvements between 1993 and 2018. The composite prevention index increased from 65.6% (95% CI: 52.1%-77.9%) to 87.7% (95% CI: 81.8%-92.6%) and the composite treatment index increased from 57.1% (95% CI: 43.5%-70.1%) to 75.5% (95% CI: 66.6%-83.5%). The inequalities of service coverage experienced significant declines during this period. Based on our projections, most indicators except ones in the area of non-communicable diseases (NCD) will achieve the 80% coverage target by 2030, and the prevention and treatment indices will increase to 92.7% (95% CrI: 90.3%-94.7%) and 83.2% (95% CrI: 75.1%-88.8%) by then. However, we observed limited reductions in the incidences of catastrophic health expenditure and medical impoverishment. Inequalities in financial protection remained large in 2018. China had made significant progress in improving healthcare service coverage and reducing inequalities between 1993 and 2018. However, China faces great challenges in improving financial protection and controlling NCD on its path towards UHC. Establishment of a primary-healthcare-based integrated delivery system and provision of better financial protection for vulnerable population should be prioritized. None.

The average life expectancy (ALE) of persons with disabilities (PWDs) is much shorter than that of the total population in many countries. However, there have been relatively few empirical studies on the ALE of PWDs in China. This study estimates the ALE and compiles the life tables of PWDs in China using data on 1,359,812 PWDs registered in the Special Surveys of Basic Services and Needs of the Disabled (SSBSND) in K Province in China from 2015 to 2017. The ALE of PWDs at age 20 is 45.2 years (95% CI: 44.7–45.8) for men and 48.1 years (95% CI: 47.6–48.6) for women, which is 15.0 years (men) and 16.5 years (women) lower than that of the entire population. The ALE of those with the most severe disability is only 33.7 years (95% CI: 32.2–45.1) for men and 37.1 years (95% CI: 35.3–38.8) for women. The ALE is relatively short for persons with intellectual and physical disabilities; moderate for those with hearing, speech, and mental disabilities; and relatively long for those with visual and multiple disabilities. Of the PWDs participating in basic old-age insurance (BOI), more than 30% do not live long enough to receive their pensions. As such, because a large proportion of PWDs die before 60 years old, social policies for PWDs should be specially designed.