For people living in the countries of the former Soviet Union, poorer health means a lower chance of working.

In the two decades since its break up, the countries of the former Soviet Union have undergone significant economic growth and development. But current health outcomes in these countries do not reflect this, and this can have significant side effects on other aspects of society, such as the workforce. Yevgeniy Goryakin and colleagues find that the poor health of people in these countries can lead to people having a 13-15 per cent higher probability of not working.