Factors Affecting Excess Mortality Rate of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study on the High-Income and Middle- Income Countries

Abstract

This study aimed to determine how excess mortality rates due to the Covid-19 pandemic have changed in high- and middle-income countries. It is examined that the partial relationship between the excess mortality rate and its economical and political factors. Several variables are controlled when the economical and political factors are observed. The sample occurs with the annual excess mortality rates in 99 countries (63 high-income and 36 middle-income economies) between April 2020 and April 2021. The period began when the mainland officially announced an all-cause mortality rate of 10. Two different models are examined with the Weighted Least Squares (WLS) Estimation Method. As a result, it is found that the interest variable, GDP per capita PPP, has a significant effect on the dependent variable, excess mortality rate p - score. While mobility trends for grocery and pharmacy stores, Government Stringency Index, Hospital beds rate, Population age ratio (+65 age), and Young age dependency ratio are statistically significant in one of the Models, they are insignificant in the other Model. On the other hand, there is no significant effect of the urban population, income support, and mobility trends for retail and recreation areas on the excess mortality rate. Geographical location, as continental dummies, is significant only with reference continents, Asia, and North America.