A STATISTICAL PROFILE OF BIRTH REGISTRATION IN AFRICA...AUGUST 2010: The First Conference of African...
Transcript of A STATISTICAL PROFILE OF BIRTH REGISTRATION IN AFRICA...AUGUST 2010: The First Conference of African...
A S TAT I S T I C A L P R O F I L E O F
BIRTH REGISTRATION I N A F R I C A
© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, November 2020
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis brochure was prepared by the Data and Analytics Section of UNICEF (Claudia Cappa and Nicole Petrowski), with inputs from the UNICEF Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa (Jean Francois Basse and Eri Mathers Suzuki), the UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, and the UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa (Andrew Brooks, Cecilie Modvar and Cairn Verhulst). It was edited by Lois Jensen and designed by Era Porth.
SUGGESTED CITATIONUnited Nations Children’s Fund, A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa, UNICEF, New York, 2020.
COVER PHOTO CREDIT© UNICEF/UNI303167/Frank Dejongh
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I339
629/
03A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
B I RT H R E G I S T R AT I O N
A N D SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I303
197/
Fra
nk
Dej
on
gh
04 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
Society first acknowledges a child’s existence and identity through birth registration. The right to be recognized as a person before the law is a critical step in ensuring lifelong protection and can facilitate access to all other rights.
A birth certificate is proof of that legal identity, and is the basis upon which children can establish a nationality, avoid the risk of statelessness, and seek protection from violence and exploitation. For example, proof of age is needed to help prevent child labour, child marriage and underage recruitment into the armed forces. A birth certificate may also be required to access services, in areas including health, education and justice.
The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 placed birth registration firmly on the international development agenda. It included a dedicated target (16.9) under Goal 16 – namely, to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, by 2030. Complementing this is target 17.9, which calls for support in building the statistical capacity needed for strong national civil registration systems. Such systems produce vital statistics, which are foundational for achieving sustained human and economic development.
In accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals, UNICEF seeks to fulfil the promise of universal birth registration, ensuring a legal identity for every child by 2030.
05A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
M I L E S T O N E S I N A D VA N C I N G
UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION
I N A F R I C A
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I338
793/
06 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
AUGUST 2010: The First Conference of African Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was attended by over 40 ministers from the continent and resulted in a declaration and plan of action.
SEPTEMBER 2012: The Second Conference of African Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration was held in Durban, South Africa. It led to a strong resolution by ministers calling for reform of national civil registration and vital statistics systems across the continent. This commitment translated into a programme and policy document, Africa Programme for Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics. The conference brought health ministries on board and advanced interoperability between civil registration and the health sector.
FEBRUARY 2015: The Third Conference of African Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration took place in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire under the theme ‘Promoting the use of civil registration and vital statistics in support of good governance in Africa’. The focus was on innovation and new technology.
DECEMBER 2017: The Fourth Conference of African
Ministers Responsible for Civil Registration hosted in
Nouakchott, Mauritania was devoted to identifying ways
forward in light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and Agenda 2063 for Africa.
SEPTEMBER 2018: The United Nations Deputy Secretary-
General initiated the establishment of the UN Legal
Identity Expert Group to ensure holistic installation and
development of civil registration, vital statistics and
identity management systems. The UN Legal Identity
Agenda 2020-2030 was officially launched in Rome in May
2019 in preparation for the UN High-Level Political Forum,
with the theme ‘Peaceful, just and inclusive societies –
SDG 16 implementation and the path towards leaving no
one behind’. The initial focus of the Legal Identity Agenda
is Africa, with 13 pilot countries.
OCTOBER 2019: The Fifth Conference of African Ministers
Responsible for Civil Registration on the theme ‘Innovative
civil registration and vital statistics system: foundation for
legal identity management’ was held in Lusaka, Zambia.
The importance of civil registration systems for the
realization of a legal identity for all was reaffirmed and the
UN Legal Identity Agenda was introduced.
07A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
1 0 K E Y FA C T S O N BIRTH REGISTRATION
I N A F R I C A
OF THE 168 MILLION
UNREGISTERED CHILDREN
WORLDWIDE,
MORE THAN HALF
(AROUND 96 MILLION)
LIVE IN AFRICA, NEARLY
ALL OF THEM IN SUB-
SAHARAN AFRICA
THE
POOREST CHILDREN
CONTINUE TO LAG
BEHIND IN MOST
AFRICAN REGIONS
OF ALL INFANTS IN
AFRICA, SLIGHTLY
MORE THAN HALF
(SOME 22 MILLION) HAVE
NOT BEEN REGISTERED
EASTERN AFRICA IS
HOME TO THE
LARGEST NUMBER
OF UNREGISTERED
CHILDREN IN AFRICA
AMONG AFRICAN
COUNTRIES WITH
AVAILABLE DATA,
PROGRESS IN 2 OUT OF 3
OF THEM WILL
NEED TO ACCELERATE
TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL
BIRTH REGISTRATION
BY 2030
HALF OF ALL
AFRICAN CHILDREN
ARE UNREGISTERED,
BUT LEVELS VARY WIDELY
ACROSS REGIONS
AND COUNTRIES
MORE NEEDS TO BE
DONE TO FULFIL
THE PROMISE OF
UNIVERSAL BIRTH
REGISTRATION
BY 2030 IN AFRICA
MANY REGISTERED
CHILDREN STILL
LACK PROOF:
118 MILLION CHILDREN
IN AFRICA (AROUND
6 IN 10) DO NOT HAVE A
BIRTH CERTIFICATE
UNLESS PROGRESS
IS ACCELERATED,
THE TOTAL NUMBER
OF UNREGISTERED
CHILDREN IN AFRICA WILL
CONTINUE TO RISE AND
WILL EXCEED 100 MILLION
BY 2030
ABOUT
27 MILLION INFANTS
IN AFRICA DO NOT
POSSESS A BIRTH
CERTIFICATE
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I342
027/
09A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
W H E R E W E S TA N D
TODAY
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I308
035/
Sch
erm
bru
cker
10 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
OF THE 168 MILLION UNREGISTERED CHILDREN WORLDWIDE, MORE THAN HALF (AROUND 96 MILLION) LIVE IN AFRICA
FIG. 1 Percentage distribution of children under age 5 whose births are not registered
Africa57%
30%South Asia
Rest of the world 13%
11A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
EASTERN AFRICA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST NUMBER OF UNREGISTERED CHILDREN IN AFRICA
FIG. 2 Number of children under age 5 whose births are not registered, by African region
Notes: Figures have been rounded. Estimates are based on a subset of 50 countries in Africa covering 98 per cent of the population of children under age 5. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population.
Eastern Africa
Western Africa
Central Africa
Southern Africa
Northern Africa
Africa
38 million
27 million
16 million
14 million
500,000
96 million
12 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
MANY REGISTERED CHILDREN STILL LACK PROOF: 118 MILLION CHILDREN IN AFRICA (AROUND 6 IN 10) DO NOT HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE
FIG. 3 Number of children under age 5 without a birth certificate, by African region
Notes: Figures have been rounded. Estimates are based on a subset of 45 countries in Africa covering 93 per cent of the population of children under age 5. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population.
Eastern Africa
Western Africa
Central Africa
Southern Africa
Northern Africa
Africa
46 million
33 million
19 million
19 million
800,000
118 million
13A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
HALF OF ALL AFRICAN CHILDREN ARE UNREGISTERED, BUT LEVELS VARY WIDELY
FIG. 4 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, by African region
0
20
40
60
80
100
World Northern Africa Southern AfricaAfrica Western Africa Central Africa Eastern Africa
Country/countries with the highest prevalence World/regional prevalence Country/countries with the lowest prevalence
70 countries
Ethiopia & Somalia Ethiopia & Somalia
Malawi
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritania
Chad
Ethiopia & Somalia
Algeria & Tunisia Algeria & Tunisia
Cabo VerdeSouth Africa
Congo
Djibouti
14 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF BIRTH REGISTRATION EVEN WITH LOW PER CAPITA INCOME
FIG. 5 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered and 2018 gross national income (GNI) per capita in US$ based on the Atlas method, in African countries with available data
Note: Each dot represents a country.
1,000 5,0003,000 7,0002,000 6,0004,000 8,000 9,000 10,000
GNI per capita, Atlas method, current US$, 2018
Per
cen
tag
e o
f ch
ildre
n u
nd
er a
ge
5 w
ho
se b
irth
s ar
e re
gis
tere
d
0
20
40
60
80
100
15A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
MORE EFFORT IS NEEDED TO ENSURE TIMELY REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS IN AFRICA
FIG. 6 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered in Africa, by age in months
0–11 months 12–23 months 24–35 months 36–47 months 48–59 months
44% 50% 51% 51% 52%
16 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
OF ALL INFANTS IN AFRICA, SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF (SOME 22 MILLION) HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED
FIG. 7 Number of children under age 1 whose births are not registered, by African region
Notes: Figures have been rounded. Estimates are based on a subset of 47 countries in Africa covering 96 per cent of the population of children under age 1. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population.
Eastern Africa Central AfricaWestern Africa Southern Africa Northern Africa Africa
8 million 7 million 22 million
4 million 3 million200,000
17A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
ABOUT 27 MILLION INFANTS IN AFRICA DO NOT POSSESS A BIRTH CERTIFICATE
FIG. 8 Number of children under age 1 without a birth certificate, by African region
Notes: Figures have been rounded and do not add up to the total for Africa. Estimates are based on a subset of 44 countries in Africa covering 93 per cent of the population of children under age 1. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population.
Eastern Africa Central AfricaWestern Africa Southern Africa Northern Africa Africa
10 million 8 million 27 million
4 million 4 million
250,000
18 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
EVEN WIDER VARIATIONS IN BIRTH REGISTRATION LEVELS AMONG INFANTS ARE FOUND ACROSS AFRICAN REGIONS
FIG. 9 Percentage of children under age 1 whose births are registered, by African region
0
20
40
60
80
100
World Northern Africa Southern AfricaAfrica Western Africa Central Africa Eastern Africa
Country/countries with the highest prevalence World/regional prevalence Country/countries with the lowest prevalence
59 countries
Ethiopia Ethiopia
Malawi
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritania
Chad
Ethiopia
Tunisia Tunisia
Benin & MaliSouth Africa
Sao Tome and Principe
Djibouti
19A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
A S S E S S I N G PROGRESS
A N DLOOKING AHEAD
T O 2 0 3 0
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I213
089/
Prin
slo
o
20 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FULFIL THE PROMISE OF UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION BY 2030 IN AFRICA
FIG. 10 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered in Africa, observed and projected
100
60
20
80
40
020302025Around
2000Around
2008Today
5049
51
63If progress is accelerated
If observed trends continue56
Notes: The projection scenarios build on existing trends. The scenario depicting ‘observed trends continue’ shows expected values if each country were to continue on its observed (or assumed) path of progress. The ‘progress is accelerated’ scenario shows expected values if: (1) those countries that are projected to be on track to achieve universal birth registration by 2030 continue on their observed path of progress, (2) those countries that have a positive average annual rate of change catch up to countries in Africa that are on track, and (3) those countries that have either a negative average annual rate of change or have not made any progress catch up to countries in Africa that have made at least some progress but are not on track. This represents the more ambitious of the two scenarios. Both scenarios account for slowing effects that are to be expected as birth registration levels approach 100 per cent.
21A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
THE POOREST CHILDREN CONTINUE TO LAG BEHIND IN MOST AFRICAN REGIONS
FIG. 11 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, by household wealth quintile and by African region
Eastern Africa Southern AfricaCentral Africa Western Africa Northern Africa Africa100
60
20
80
40
0Around 2000 Around 2000 Around 2000 Around 2000 Around 2000 Around 2000Today Today Today Today Today Today
Poorest Richest
22 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
AMONG AFRICAN COUNTRIES WITH AVAILABLE DATA, PROGRESS IN 2 OUT OF 3 OF THEM WILL NEED TO ACCELERATE TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION BY 2030
FIG. 12 Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered and average annual rate of change, in African countries on track and not on track towards the SDG target
35
5
20
-10
30
0
15
-15
25
-5
10
100806040200
Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered
Ave
rag
e an
nu
al r
ate
of
chan
ge
(%)
Countries not on track Countries on track
Note: This chart does not include countries that have already met the target of universal birth registration and those for which there were insufficient data to assess trends.
23A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
168 million180 million
116 million
89 million
168 million 168 million
UNLESS PROGRESS IS ACCELERATED, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNREGISTERED CHILDREN IN AFRICA WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND WILL EXCEED 100 MILLION BY 2030
FIG. 13 Number of children under age 5 whose births are not registered, observed and projected, by region
Prevalence remains at today’s levels Observed trends continue Progress is accelerated
Today Today Today2025 2025 20252030 2030 2030
Africa South Asia Rest of the world
Note: Figures have been rounded and may not add up to totals.
22 million22 million 22 million
19 million
6 million
3 million
51 million
51 million51 million
50 million
11 million
2 million96 million 96 million
96 million
110 million
100 million
84 million
24 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I322
527/
Fra
nk
Dej
on
gh
25A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
A C H I E V I N G U N I V E R S A L
B I RT H R E G I S T R AT I O N
I N A F R I C A : WHAT WILL IT TAKE?
© U
NIC
EF/
UN
I339
626/
26 | A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa
Legal identity for all in Africa – starting from birth – could be a game-changer in closing the global identity gap and fulfilling the promise to leave no one behind. Progress has been made, but acceleration is needed for African countries to achieve their ambitions for children.
As countries employ both technological and non-technological solutions to improve their civil registration and vital statistics systems, three policy directions – namely decentralization, digitization and interoperability – emerge as proven solutions for increasing coverage while promoting cost-efficient service delivery.
Governments need to demonstrate political commitment through sufficient financing and
revamping of systems to make them sustainable
and inclusive for marginalized population groups,
including migrants and those who are displaced,
with the goal of universality.
The target date for the Sustainable Development
Goals is now only a decade away. Concerted
efforts are needed to achieve birth registration
for all children, anchored in the collective action
of partners engaged in the Africa Programme for
Accelerated Improvement of Civil Registration
and Vital Statistics, with investments geared
towards continued decentralization, digitization
and interoperability. Only by bringing these proven
solutions to scale can the registration of every
child’s birth in Africa become a reality.
27A Statistical Profile of Birth Registration in Africa |
UNICEFData and Analytics SectionDivision of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USA
Email: [email protected]: data.unicef.org