Disability-Free Life Expectancy and Its Drivers Among Adults Aged 60 and Above - China, 2018 and 2023

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) is a vital measure of older adults' quality of life. Although its temporal trends and determinants have been examined in previous studies, spatial heterogeneity has often been underestimated, because most analyses were conducted at aggregated national or provincial levels, masking local variations due to limited data availability. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: Compared with 2018, DFLE increased in 2023, and the urban-rural gap narrowed overall, with slower improvement in the western region. The determinants of DFLE varied by region, age, and urban-rural context. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: Public health strategies should be tailored to urban and rural contexts. Priority should be given to strengthening healthcare access, social security systems, and climate-adaptive infrastructure, particularly in rural areas of western China.