Neonatal mortality – death among children less than 28 days old, as well as infant mortality – death among children not yet one year of age, reflect the effect of economic, social and environmental conditions on the health of mothers and new-borns, as well as the effectiveness of health systems. Child mortality – death among children not yet 5 years of age, is an indicator of child health as well as the overall development and well-being of a population. As part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has set a target of reducing under age 5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1 000 live births by 2030 (United Nations, 2021[1]).
The neonatal mortality rates are persistently high in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries (UN IGME, 2022[2]). While rates in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Tajikistan declined by more than half since 2000, neonatal mortality rates remain high in Pakistan at almost 40 deaths per 1 000 live births (Figure 6.4). OECD countries in the Asia/Pacific region have neonatal mortality rates of 3 deaths per 1 000 live births or less. Macau (China), Singapore and Japan were the only countries where the neonatal mortality rate was below 1 death per 1 000 live births in 2022.
Across the selected countries, the highest incidence of infant mortality is recorded for children with mothers with low educational attainment and little income (Figure 6.5). While all the selected countries show similar trends, infant mortality differences related to socio‑economic status of mothers were widest in Pakistan (2017‑18): the infant mortality rate was 83 per 1 000 live births among low-income families and 27 for high-income families; 75 for mothers with low educational attainment and 26 for mothers with high educational attainment
Child mortality rates have more than halved over the 2000‑22 period. However, one‑third of Asia/Pacific countries have not yet achieved the Sustainable Development Goal of a child mortality rate of 25 or less per 1 000 live births (Figure 6.6). Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Turkmenistan have child mortality rates exceeding 40 deaths per 1 000 live births even though child mortality rates fell significantly over the past 20 years.
