Health inequalities and the influence of economic development, renewable energy, financial growth, and resource use in emerging economies

This study investigates the heterogeneous effects of economic level, renewable energy consumption, financial development, natural resource rents, adult literacy, and access to improved water sources on life expectancy at birth in Emerging Seven (E7) economies. Employing the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), the analysis examines these relationships across the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles to capture distributional variations in health outcomes. The findings indicate that economic level and renewable energy consumption have positive but diminishing effects on life expectancy at higher percentiles, while financial development exerts a consistently strong and increasing influence across all levels. Natural resource rents demonstrate a persistent negative association, underscoring the risks of resource dependence. In contrast, adult literacy and access to improved water sources emerge as robust determinants of health, with their positive effects strengthening at higher percentiles. These results suggest that economic and environmental progress alone are insufficient without parallel investments in human capital and basic infrastructure. The study recommends an integrated policy framework that strengthens financial systems, promotes sustainable energy use, enhances education and water access, and ensures responsible resource governance to advance long-term health outcomes and inclusive development across E7 countries.