6. HEALTH

INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY Infant mortality – death among children not yet have not yet achieved the Sustainable Development one year of age, reflects the effect of economic, social Goal of a child mortality rate of 25 or less per 1 000 live and environmental conditions on the health of births by 2030 (Figure 6.6). Lao PDR, Myanmar, Pakistan, mothers and infants, as well as the effectiveness of and Papua New Guinea have child mortality rates health systems. Child mortality – death among exceeding 50 deaths per 1 000 live births though child children not yet 5 years of age an indicator of child mortality rates fell significantly over the past fifteen health as well as the overall development and years. Boys are more likely than girls to die before their well-being of a population. As part of their Sustainable fifth birthday in all countries except Tonga, although Development Goals, the United Nations has set a target the gender gap in child mortality has narrowed over of reducing under age 5 mortality to at least as low as the past fifteen years. 25 per 1 000 live births by 2030 (United Nations 2015). Over the 2000-16 period, infant mortality rates have roughly halved in the Asia/Pacific region, but huge Definition and measurement cross-national disparities exists across countries. The infant mortality rate is defined as the Advanced economies have the lowest infant mortality number of children who die before reaching their rates, often lower than OECD average (4.0): Macau, first birthday in a given year, expressed per 1 000 China, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Singapore record live births. The child mortality rate (or under-five infant mortality rates of around two deaths per 1 000 live mortality rate – U5MR) is the probability – births (Figure 6.4). In contrast, low-income countries expressed as a rate per 1 000 live births, of a child such as Lao PDR, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan born in a specified years dying before reaching the and Timor-Leste have infant mortality rates exceeding age of five when subject to current age-specific 40 deaths per 1 000 live births. mortality rates. Across the selected countries, the highest Some countries base their infant mortality rates incidence of infant mortality is recorded for children on estimates derived from censuses, surveys and with mothers who low educational attainment and sample registration systems, and not on accurate little income who live in rural areas (Figure 6.5). While and complete registration of births and deaths. all the selected countries show similar trends, the Differences among countries in registering infant mortality discrepancies upon socio-economic practices for premature infants may also add status of mothers were widest in Lao DPR (2011-12): slightly to international variations in rates. the infant mortality rate was 95 among low-income wealth families and 27 for high-income families; 96 for mothers with low educational attainment and 32 for mothers with high educational attainment; Further reading and, 85 for mothers in rural areas and 39 for mothers in urban areas. The UN inter-agency Group (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank Group, United Nations) for Child Mortality Estimation Child mortality rates have halved over the 2000-16 (2017), “Levels & Trends in Child Mortality”, period. However, one-third of Asia/Pacific countries www.unicef.org/publications/index_101071.html.

94 SOCIETY AT A GLANCE: ASIA/PACIFIC 2019 © OECD 2019 6. HEALTH

Figure 6.4. The infant mortality rate has halved, while huge disparities exist across countries Infant mortality rate, per 1 000 live births, 2000 and 2016

2000 2016 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) Child Mortality Report 2017; Hong Kong annual digest of statistics 2017; Macau yearbook of Statistics, 2016. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933900610

Figure 6.5. Mothers experienced high incidence of infant mortality when they have low education and wealth and live in rural areas Infant mortality rate by wealth, location, and mothers’ education, selected countries and years

low wealth high wealth rural urban low education high education 100

80

60

40

20

0 Bangladesh Cambodia India (2015-16) Indonesia Lao, DPR Mongolia Myanmar Nepal (2016) Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Viet Nam (2014) (2014) (2012) (2011-12) (2013) (2015-16) (2012-13) (2013) (2016) (2014)

Source: Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2012-16. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933900629

Figure 6.6. The child mortality rate halved to 24.6 since 2000, but the gender gap still exists Child (under 5) mortality, per 1 000 live births, by sex, 2000 and 2016

Total 2000 Total 2016 Men 2016 Women 2016 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Source: WHO Global Health Observatory data (2018), UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME) Child Mortality Report 2017. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933900648

SOCIETY AT A GLANCE: ASIA/PACIFIC 2019 © OECD 2019 95 From: Society at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2019

Access the complete publication at: https://doi.org/10.1787/soc_aag-2019-en

Please cite this chapter as:

OECD (2019), “Infant and child mortality”, in Society at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/f6f2837d-en

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