Project

Social and spatial inequalities in mortality in Belgium (17th-20th centuries)

Code
bof/baf/4y/2024/01/279
Duration
01 January 2024 → 31 December 2025
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Humanities and the arts
    • Early modern history
    • Modern and contemporary history
    • Socio-economic history
  • Social sciences
    • Mortality and health
Keywords
social inequality epidemics mortality historical demography
 
Project description

This research aims to generate new insights into the development of inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Belgium. It examines the long-term evolution of mortality inequalities since the 17th century using Belgium’s rich statistical heritage (parish registers, civil and cause-of-death registers, Mouvement de la Population). It employs advanced statistical techniques and (historical) geographic information systems to analyze how social and spatial disparities in mortality have evolved amidst vast changes in living standards, social security, and medical care. How did (cause-of-death) mortality patterns in Belgium vary according to age, sex, origin and socioeconomic status? Which factors can explain these variations? And how did these patterns differ in epidemic versus non-epidemic years? Integrating micro and macro level data, and engaging with the wider public, this project presents an important initiative in enhancing our understanding of mortality inequalities in Belgium and beyond.