Objective To conduct a systematic review of willingness-to-pay (WTP)-based estimates of the value of statistical life (VSL) reported by studies in China, and to compare VSLs associated with different hazards and estimation methods in order to provide more accurate estimates of VSL for future policy decisions.

Methods Empirical studies in China on WTP-based VSL estimates published through April 1, 2024 were collected by searching the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Chinese Database, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and MEDLINEand supplemented by a literature review method.The VSL estimates reported in the studies were systematically evaluated in terms of research scope and methods.

Results Of the 28 studies reviewed, 11 were on VSLs related to air pollution, 9 to traffic safety, 5 to occupational safety, 2 to health conditions, and 1 to a combined circumstance, with 26 studies using stated preference surveys and 2 using revealed preference surveys. The median VSL estimate (in million of Chinese yuan) for all reviewed studies was 1.962 2, with VSL estimates of 1.689 0 for air pollution, 0.985 7 for traffic safety, 4.996 0 for occupational safety, and 4.033 0 for health conditions and combined circumstances; the median VSL estimates for studies using stated and revealed preference surveys were 1.825 6 and 1.553 0, respectively. The main factors influencing WTP were income, education, age, household size, and perceived health status for studies related to air pollution; income, education, age, and perceived risk for studies related to traffic safety; income, education, age, perceived risk, gender, and marital status for studies related to occupational safety; and income, education, age, and risk variation for studies related to health conditions.

Conclusions VSL estimates from studies in China show some variation due to differences in research scope and methodology. The common factors influencing VSL estimates across studies are primarily income, education, age, and perceived risk.