Worldwide improvement set back by African AIDS crisis and humanitarian emergency in Iraq

Under 5 Mortality estimates the number of newborn babies that will die before reaching their fifth birthday, based on current age-specific mortality rates for each country. It is measured as a rate per 1,000 live births. Like Life Expectancy and Infant Mortality , it estimates the overall health and well being of a society. 

The Under 5 Mortality Rate provides a robust measure of the health of children. It reflects the probability of a newborn baby dying before reaching age five. In addition to monitoring the number of deaths to childhood illness, the Under 5 Mortality rate may also reflect other social conditions, such as gender discrimination. For example, if female mortality is higher, as it is in some South Asia countries, it may highlight girls' unequal access to food and health care.

Gap Generally Decreasing between Global North and South

The maps below show a significant improvement between 1960 and 2000. On average Under Five Mortality Rates fell by 65% in that period. Many countries made even greater progress, particularly in the Middle East. For example, between 1960 and 2000, United Arab Emirates decreased its rate from 223 to 10, an improvement of 95%. Portugal, Oman, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Chile all saw a greater than 90% decrease in their Under 5 Mortality rates.

However, many countries in Africa have recently experienced an increase in Under 5 Mortality rates. For example, between 1990 and 2000 Botswana saw its child mortality increase almost 60% from 62 to 99.   The Ivory Coast, Namibia, Kenya and Nigeria all had increases greater than 10%. This trend reflects the impact of AIDS on the youngest members of society. Adetunji (2000) recently published a WHO paper exploring this issue, "Trends in under-5 mortality rates and the HIV/AIDS epidemic."

Iraq also stands out because it had the largest increase in Under 5 Mortality between 1990 and 2000. While the world saw an average decrease in 20%, Iraq had a 142% increase in Under 5 Mortality, from 50 to 142 per 1000 births.  This reversed two decades of progress for this country.  This UNICEF Survey highlights the impact of the ongoing humanitarian emergency in Iraq. Dreze and Gazdar (1992) and Dobson (2000) discuss the causes of higher child mortality rates including higher food prices as a result of sanctions and other factors.

References

Adetunji, Jacob (2000), "Trends in under-5 mortality rates and the HIV/AIDS epidemic"

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000, 78(10): 1200Ð1206.

Dreze, J. and H. Gazdar (1992). "Hunger and poverty in Iraq 1991."  World Development, 20(7): 921-945.

Dobson, R. (2000). "Sanctions against Iraq "double" child mortality.(News)." British Medical Journal v321(n7275 (Dec 16, 2000): 1490.