Overview

Childhood mortality is an important indicator of overall health and development in a country. These estimates assess population and health programs and policies, as well as contribute to population projections.  Childhood mortality measures also help identify specific populations that are at increased health risk.

Several measures of childhood mortality are calculated using DHS survey data:

• Neonatal mortality- the probability of dying within the 1st month of life
• Infant mortality- the probability of dying before the 1st birthday
• Postneonatal mortality- the difference between infant and neonatal mortality
• Child mortality- the probability of dying between the 1st and 5th birthdays
• Under-five mortality- the probability of dying before the fifth birthday

Related Indicators

• Infant and child mortality
• Infant and child mortality by background characteristics (10 year rates)
• Infant and child mortality by demographic characteristics (10 year rates)
• High-risk fertility behavior
• Reporting of age at death in days
• Reporting of age at death in months
• Perinatal mortality