Indicator Name

Long definition
Source
Topic
Periodicity
Aggregation method
Statistical concept and methodolog
Development relevance
Limitations and exceptions
General comments
License URL
License Type
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births)
Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if
Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank
Health: Mortality
Annual
Weighted average
The main sources of mortality data are vital registration systems and direct or indirect estimates based on sa
Mortality rates for different age groups (infants, children, and adults) and overall mortality indicators (life exp
Complete vital registration systems are fairly uncommon in developing countries. Thus estimates must be ob
Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are o
https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/public-licenses#cc-by
CC BY-4.0
cific mortality data.
e frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. And they are among the indicat
r, and surveys estimating infant/child deaths require large samples because households in which a birth has occurred duri
ntries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are in
they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries.
h a birth has occurred during a given year cannot ordinarily be preselected for sampling. Indirect estimates rely on model
l gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant
ross countries.
ct estimates rely on model life tables that may be inappropriate for the population concerned. Extrapolations based on outd
mination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this a
xtrapolations based on outdated surveys may not be reliable for monitoring changes in health status or for comparative an
significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to re
atus or for comparative analytical work.
y to have less access to resources than boys.