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Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health
Life expectancy at birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Stillbirth rate
Neonatal mortality rate
Infant mortality rate
Under 5 mortality rate
Antenatal care coverage: 4+ visits
Antenatal care coverage: 8+ visits
Births attended by skilled health personnel
Postpartum care coverage for mothers
Postnatal care coverage for newborns
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months
Coverage of first dose of measles vaccination
Stunting - short height for age under age 5
Wasting – low weight for height under age 5
Overweight - heavy for height under 5
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Child marriage before age 15
Child marriage before age 18
Female genital mutilation
Sexual violence by age 18 - female
Sexual violence by age 18 - male
Very early child bearing under age 16
Adolescent birth rate ages 15 to 19
Contraceptive prevalance rate, modern methods, all women
Demand satisfied for modern contraception
Communicable Diseases
New HIV infections
Antiretroviral treatment coverage
Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Condom use
New TB infections
New malaria infections
Non-Communicable Diseases
Mortality from non-communicable diseases
Suicide mortality rate
Current tobacco use among females aged 15 and over
Current tobacco use among males aged 15 and over
Harmful alcohol use aged 15 and over
Health Financing
External health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % GDP
Government health expenditure as % general govt expenditure
Government health expenditure per capita
Out-of-pocket health expenditure as % of current health expenditure
Percentage of national health budget allocated for reproductive health
Health systems and policies
Density of health workers - physicians
Density of health workers - nurses and midwives
Density of health workers - pharmaceutical staff
Qualified obstetricians
Birth registration
At least basic drinking water
At least basic sanitation services
Open defecation
Implementation of AMRH Initiative

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What does it mean ?
Full Name: Proportion of children under five years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority
Full Unit: Percentage, %
Year-range of Data: 2006 - 2018
Source: Global SDG Indicators Database
Link to Source: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/
Date Source Published: 29th March 2019
Date Source Accessed: 15th May 2019
Target Source: UN SDG Database
Link to Target: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/

The following countries had no data:
Eritrea , Libya, Mauritius, SADR, Seychelles

Alternative Data Sources
The target is taken from the target source as shown in the table on the left. This is the internationally agreed target for this indicator and country. Most targets are the same for all countries, but some may have different values for each country. Some indicators have no internationally agreed targets.

The threshold is taken from the same source where available. The threshold is an easier value than the target but shows good progress in achieving the target. For more details, go to ‘Find out more about indicator and sources’ via the Indicators page.

Birth registration

What does it mean ?

This is the proportion of children under five years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority.

Why does it matter ?

Children have a right to a name and nationality. The registration of a child at birth is their first step to be recognised by law and protecting their rights from violation. Children without official documentation may be excluded from health care and education. Lack of documentation later in life can make a child vulnerable to marriage, labour and entry into armed services before the legal age. For adults, having a birth certificate is essential to receive social assistance, enter a job in the formal sector, inherit property, vote and obtain a passport. Birth registration of all babies born (100%) is a target under SDG Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, Indicator 17.19.2.

How is it collected ?

Data are collected from national vital registration systems, population censuses and household surveys. Where administrative data is unreliable, surveys have been used to monitor levels and trends in birth registration. In most low- and middle-income countries, surveys are the only source of data. For surveys, respondents are asked about birth registration status. The number of children who have acquired legal identity includes children whose birth certificate was shown to the interviewer or whose mother or care-taker said the birth has been registered.

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More about indicator, sources and calculations

More about indicator and sources

The proportion of children under five years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority is an indicator for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration.

Birth registration of all babies born (100%) is also a target under SDG Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, Indicator 17.19.2: Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration. See the SDG indicator database for more inforamtion on this indicator: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/?Text=death&Goal=&Target=

The two main household surveys that collect these data to estimate how many children have had their birth registered are the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and the US Agency for International Development–supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). During MICS interviews, mothers (or primary caregivers) of children under age 5 are asked about the possession of a birth certificate or registration with civil authorities and knowledge of how to register a child. During DHS interviews, the standard question is whether all children younger than 5 years are registered.

For more information, see “Notes on the Data”: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/birth-registration/

More information on calculations

Estimates of the coverage of birth registration as reported in the household surveys are taken from two sources. One is UNICEF's State of the World's Children where estimates refer to the percentage of children less than five years old who were registered at the moment of the survey.The second is the United Nations demographic yearbook, where only countries with the code "C" (Civil registration, estimated over 90% complete) are reported in the World Health Statistics. In this African Health Stats platform, these are reported as 90%. This includes the following countries: Algeria (2013); Egypt (2013); Mauritias (2011, 2013); Seychelles (2011, 2013); Tunisia (2008).

The numerator of this indicator includes children whose birth certificate was seen by the interviewer or whose mother or caretaker says the birth has been registered. MICS data refer to children alive at the time of the survey.

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