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The purpose of this indicator is to measure the under-five mortality rate to assess progress towards achieving SDG Target 3.2: ‘By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births’. This indicator provides essential data on health and well-being of children under the age of five, which is critical for understanding the progress towards reducing child mortality, identifying disparities in healthcare access and quality, and prioritizing interventions to improve child health outcomes. By monitoring this indicator, policymakers, stakeholders, and organizations can make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the reduction of child mortality, improving access to healthcare services, ensuring nutrition and sanitation. This indicator helps to ensure that vulnerable populations, particularly young children in low-income and underserved communities, are included in efforts to prevent under-five mortality, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth. 

This indicator measures the under-five mortality rate to monitor progress towards SDG Target 3.2: ‘By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births’. It is defined as the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of 5 years, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of that period, expressed as deaths per 100,000 live births. The relevance of this indicator lies in its ability to provide critical data on health and well-being of children under the age of five, which is essential for understanding the effectiveness of public health interventions, identifying areas needing improvement, and measuring progress towards reducing child mortality and achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals. The data for this indicator is collected through administrative reports, and it is calculated as a probability, not a rate, of death derived from a life table and expressed as a rate per 100,000 live births. By tracking this indicator, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into understanding the progress towards reducing child mortality, identifying disparities in healthcare access and quality, and prioritizing interventions to improve child health outcomes, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the reduction of child mortality, improving access to healthcare services, ensuring nutrition and sanitation.

Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW)

Annual

Mortality rates of that period expressed per 1,000 live births.

Indicator definition: The under-five mortality rate is the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of 5 years, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of that period, expressed as deaths per 1,000 live births.
Geographical coverage: National
Data collection method: Administrative reports. 
Data availability: Data is available from 2008 to 2023.

N/A

Country (Male and female) and district.

The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) estimates are derived from nationally representative data from censuses, surveys or vital registration systems. The UN IGME does not use any covariates to derive its estimates. It only applies a curve fitting method to good-quality empirical data to derive trend estimates after data quality assessment. In most cases, the UN IGME estimates are close to the underlying data. The UN IGME aims to minimize the errors for each estimate, harmonize trends over time and produce up-to-date and properly assessed estimates. The UN IGME applies the Bayesian B-splines bias-reduction model to empirical data to derive trend estimates of under-five mortality for all countries. See references for details. 

For the underlying data mentioned above, the most frequently used methods are as follows: 
Civil registration: The under-five mortality rate can be derived from a standard period abridged life table using the age-specific deaths and mid-year population counts from civil registration data to calculate death rates, which are then converted into age-specific probabilities of dying. 

Census and surveys: An indirect method is used based on a summary birth history, a series of questions asked of each woman of reproductive age as to how many children she has ever given birth to and how many are still alive. The Brass method and model life tables are then used to obtain an estimate of under-five and infant mortality rates. Censuses often include questions on household deaths in the last 12 months, which can also be used to calculate mortality estimates. Last updated: 2024-03-28 

Surveys: A direct method is used based on a full birth history, a series of detailed questions on each child a woman has given birth to during her lifetime. Neonatal, post-neonatal, infant, child and under-five mortality estimates can be derived from the full birth history.

Policy Development: Use the data to inform and shape policies aimed at improving child health and reducing under five mortality rates through targeted interventions and resource allocation. 
Program Planning and Implementation: Design and implement programs to improve access to essential health care services, nutrition, clean water, and sanitation for children under five, based on the data to ensure effective and targeted interventions that reduce child mortality and enhance overall child health.   
Monitoring and Evaluation: Track progress towards SDG Target 3.2 and evaluate the effectiveness of child health programs and interventions, using the data to measure outcomes, identify gaps, and make evidence-based adjustments to reduce under-five mortality rates.  
International Comparisons: Compare progress in reducing under-five mortality rates across different countries, identifying successful strategies and best practices that can be adopted to improve child health outcomes globally. 
Reporting and Accountability: Report progress to stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, to ensure accountability and transparency in achieving SDG Target 3.2.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.