Convergence in mortality from ischemic diseases and diabetes mellitus at the regional level in Mexico (1998 – 2023)

Objective: To determine whether health convergence exists across the Mexican states.

Design and setting: The two leading causes of death in Mexico were used as indicators of health. From data for the 32 Mexican states (1998 to 2023), a panel dataset was constructed using the concept of economic convergence, and three panel-data regression models were estimated. A standard deviation analysis determined the type of convergence.

Results: The estimates indicate conditional beta convergence for both causes of mortality and sigma convergence only for mortality from ischemic heart disease.

Conclusion: Mortality from ischemic heart disease would take approximately 26 years to reach half its steady state, while mortality from diabetes mellitus would do so in 10 years. Gross domestic product and public health expenditure are key determinants in explaining these trends. Sigma convergence in mortality from ischemic diseases indicates a trend towards homogenization, suggesting a reduction in regional disparities, which requires specific attention in public health policies.