Life expectancy of Komi Republic population: reserves for positive trends renewal

Immensity of the goal to achieve 80+ life expectancy of the Russian population, Russia’s significant lag behind the level of developed countries and significant regional differentiation determine the relevance of the topic. The Komi Republic is a study object; the aim is to identify characteristics of the level and factors of life expectancy of regional population and justify reserves and mechanisms for its further growth. The article considers dynamics of life expectancy of the Komi Republic population, its gender and inter-settlement differences, and mortality structures according to its causes. The trends in life expectancy in the republic correspond to the all-Russian. The indicator is traditionally below the national average, but in the periods of its growth the differences go down, in the unfavorable periods - up. Such flexibility of the dynamics is mostly determined by the mortality structure according to its causes, characterized by an increased proportion of external causes and exogenous diseases, characteristic of premature and preventable mortality. External causes dropped to third place in the Komi Republic only in 2011 and are still a significant reserve for increasing life expectancy. Simultaneously with the growth, there was a reduction in the difference between male and female indicators, but it remains significantly higher than in Russia. Decreasing gender differentiation to the level acceptable for developed countries, based on good lifestyles and life-saving behavior, is another reserve for a further increase in life expectancy. Reducing differences in the level of urban and rural indicators is also a significant reserve. The rise in life expectancy in the Komi Republic occurred exclusively at the expense of urban population. Improving standard and life quality of rural population and, above all, ensuring rural residents’ right to get a decent income are the basis for overcoming the gap. In the context of accelerated population ageing, the possibility of further increase in life expectancy is increasingly determined by older population’s health and active longevity, which can be facilitated by the development of specialized medicine and elimination of age discrimination in the labor market. The article reveals key provisions of the regional health development strategy and substantiates mechanisms of prolongation of positive life expectancy trends.