Socio-economic differentials in child mortality in developing countries

In this study, census and survey data on child mortality differentials in 15 selected countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America are analysed. The investigation is confined to developing countries, where the mortality level tends to be substantially higher than that of developed countries. The focus is on the mortality of children for the following reasons. First, children's deaths share a very large proportion of deaths in developing countries so that children are considered the major target group for reducing mortality levels and differentials. Second, child mortality reflects economic and social conditions in a more sensitive vway than mortality of adults, which is strongly affected by bio-medical factors, in particular, physiological deterioration that proceeds with age, and in general less preventable than child mortality. Finally, significantly more data are available on mortality differentials of children in developing countries than those of adults.