The impact of individual health on relative poverty: Evidence from China

莹 刘¹功敬 高^2*雅婷 孙²

• ¹Anhui University, Hefei, China
• ²University of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong Province, China

Background: Following China's historic achievement in eradicating absolute poverty, the focus of anti-poverty policies has shifted to alleviating relative poverty, with health status playing a pivotal role in sustainable poverty reduction.: Based on the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS 2021), we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationship between individual health and relative poverty.The analyses showed a significant negative correlation between individual health status and relative poverty risk. This effect occurs in two ways: by increasing employment participation and by reducing the burden of health care expenditures. It is worth noting that health-induced income loss has a greater impact on relative poverty than direct medical costs.These findings demonstrate that health plays a dual role in poverty governance: enhancing human capital while mitigating economic risks. This provides empirical evidence for alleviating relative poverty and advancing common prosperity through improving individual health outcomes.individual health; employment status; medical expenditures; relative poverty; human capital Highlights  In the post-poverty era, China's poverty governance has transitioned from eradicating absolute poverty to alleviating relative poverty, where individual health status plays a critical role in sustainable development.  Improved health reduces the probability of relative poverty and provides empirical evidence for precision health interventions in poverty reduction strategies.  Structural equation modeling (SEM) identified dual mediation mechanisms:enhanced employment participation and reduced medical expenditure burden  Health-induced income loss exerted a stronger influence on relative poverty than direct medical costs.