placestats

Birth registration vs. Life expectancy

Fades after adjusting for income

Across 166 countries, Birth registration and Life expectancy rise and fall together at r = +0.68 (on a scale from −1 to +1, where 0 means no link). Comparing only countries with similar income (GDP per person) shrinks it to +0.27, which could easily be chance (q = 0.11, allowing for the many pairs tested, and allowing for countries in the same region being alike). So the first figure mostly shows richer countries differing from poorer ones, not a link between these two things. Caution: direction is not consistent across regions.

Comparing countries across the middle half of life expectancy, 67.5 to 78.9 years, birth registration is better by 24% of children under 5 at the top of that range than the bottom. Comparing only countries with similar national income, the gap is 13.8% of children under 5.

Link before adjusting (r)+0.684p = 3.0e-24 · 166 countries
After adjusting for national income+0.270p = 0.000 · likely range [+0.12, +0.41]
p, allowing for regions0.003standard error 0.058 · 7 regions
Check for luck (q)0.106across 12,497 pairs

How to read these.r runs from −1 (one goes up as the other goes down) to +1 (they rise together), and 0 means no link. Adjusting for national income means comparing countries with the same GDP per person, so differences in wealth can’t explain the link. Income is used in percentage terms, since an extra $1,000 means more to a poor country than to a rich one. p is how likely a link this strong would be if there were really none. Below 0.05 means it is unlikely to be chance. Very small values are written in short form: 1.1e-32 means a decimal point followed by 31 zeros and then 11, so very close to zero. The likely range is where the true figure probably lies, and a range that crosses zero means the link could easily be chance. Countries in the same region tend to resemble each other, so the third figure allows for that, which gives a fairer p. The standard error is the typical size of the error in r. Finally, testing this many pairs means some will look strong by luck alone. A q below 0.05 means this link is unlikely to be one of those.

Birth registration · % of children under 5link with income +0.87 · proxy
Life expectancy · yearslink with income +0.87 · proxy

Both of these rise and fall closely with national income, so a strong link between them before adjusting was close to certain. Read the adjusted figure, not the first one.

“Link with income” is how closely each measure tracks GDP per person across countries, from −1 to +1.

Every country as a dot

Birth registration · % of children under 5 →Life expectancy · years →2.7%100%54.685.8Afghanistan: 42.3% of children under 5, 66.3 yearsAngola: 25% of children under 5, 64.8 yearsAlbania: 98.4% of children under 5, 79.8 yearsAndorra: 100% of children under 5, 84.2 yearsUnited Arab Emirates: 100% of children under 5, 83.1 yearsArgentina: 99.7% of children under 5, 77.5 yearsArmenia: 99.3% of children under 5, 78.3 yearsAustralia: 100% of children under 5, 83.1 yearsAustria: 100% of children under 5, 82 yearsBurundi: 83.5% of children under 5, 63.8 yearsBelgium: 100% of children under 5, 82.3 yearsBenin: 85.6% of children under 5, 61 yearsBurkina Faso: 76.9% of children under 5, 61.3 yearsBangladesh: 56% of children under 5, 74.9 yearsBulgaria: 100% of children under 5, 75.8 yearsBahrain: 100% of children under 5, 81.4 yearsBelarus: 100% of children under 5, 74.4 yearsBelize: 95.7% of children under 5, 73.7 yearsBolivia: 91.9% of children under 5, 68.7 yearsBrazil: 96.4% of children under 5, 76 yearsBarbados: 98.7% of children under 5, 76.3 yearsBrunei Darussalam: 99.9% of children under 5, 75.5 yearsBhutan: 99.9% of children under 5, 73.3 yearsBotswana: 87.5% of children under 5, 69.3 yearsCentral African Republic: 44.8% of children under 5, 57.7 yearsCanada: 100% of children under 5, 82.1 yearsSwitzerland: 100% of children under 5, 84.4 yearsChile: 99.4% of children under 5, 81.4 yearsCote d'Ivoire: 71.7% of children under 5, 62.1 yearsCameroon: 61.9% of children under 5, 64 yearsCongo, Dem. Rep.: 40.1% of children under 5, 62.1 yearsCongo, Rep.: 95.9% of children under 5, 66 yearsColombia: 96.8% of children under 5, 77.9 yearsComoros: 87.3% of children under 5, 67 yearsCabo Verde: 91.4% of children under 5, 76.2 yearsCosta Rica: 99.6% of children under 5, 81 yearsCyprus: 100% of children under 5, 81.8 yearsCzechia: 100% of children under 5, 80 yearsGermany: 100% of children under 5, 80.8 yearsDenmark: 100% of children under 5, 82.3 yearsDominican Republic: 92.2% of children under 5, 73.9 yearsAlgeria: 99.6% of children under 5, 76.5 yearsEcuador: 87.2% of children under 5, 77.6 yearsEgypt, Arab Rep.: 99.4% of children under 5, 71.8 yearsSpain: 100% of children under 5, 83.9 yearsEstonia: 100% of children under 5, 79.3 yearsEthiopia: 2.7% of children under 5, 67.6 yearsFinland: 100% of children under 5, 82.3 yearsFiji: 86.6% of children under 5, 67.5 yearsFrance: 100% of children under 5, 83 yearsGabon: 89.6% of children under 5, 68.5 yearsUnited Kingdom: 100% of children under 5, 81.4 yearsGeorgia: 98.5% of children under 5, 74.7 yearsGhana: 70.6% of children under 5, 65.7 yearsGuinea: 62% of children under 5, 60.9 yearsGambia, The: 59% of children under 5, 66.1 yearsGuinea-Bissau: 46% of children under 5, 64.3 yearsEquatorial Guinea: 53.5% of children under 5, 63.9 yearsGreece: 100% of children under 5, 81.8 yearsGuatemala: 96.4% of children under 5, 72.7 yearsGuyana: 98.1% of children under 5, 70.3 yearsHonduras: 97% of children under 5, 73 yearsCroatia: 100% of children under 5, 78.9 yearsHaiti: 84.8% of children under 5, 65.1 yearsHungary: 100% of children under 5, 76.7 yearsIndonesia: 77% of children under 5, 71.3 yearsIndia: 89.1% of children under 5, 72.2 yearsIreland: 100% of children under 5, 83 yearsIran, Islamic Rep.: 98.6% of children under 5, 77.9 yearsIraq: 98.8% of children under 5, 72.4 yearsIceland: 100% of children under 5, 82.8 yearsIsrael: 100% of children under 5, 83.2 yearsItaly: 100% of children under 5, 84 yearsJamaica: 98% of children under 5, 71.6 yearsJordan: 98% of children under 5, 78 yearsJapan: 100% of children under 5, 84 yearsKazakhstan: 99.7% of children under 5, 74.5 yearsKenya: 66.9% of children under 5, 63.8 yearsKyrgyz Republic: 98.9% of children under 5, 72.4 yearsCambodia: 73.3% of children under 5, 70.8 yearsKiribati: 91.6% of children under 5, 66.6 yearsLao PDR: 73% of children under 5, 69.2 yearsLebanon: 98.9% of children under 5, 77.9 yearsLiberia: 66.3% of children under 5, 62.3 yearsSt. Lucia: 92% of children under 5, 72.8 yearsLesotho: 44.5% of children under 5, 57.8 yearsLithuania: 100% of children under 5, 77.2 yearsLuxembourg: 100% of children under 5, 83.2 yearsLatvia: 100% of children under 5, 76.4 yearsMorocco: 96.9% of children under 5, 75.5 yearsMoldova: 99.6% of children under 5, 71.3 yearsMadagascar: 73.8% of children under 5, 63.8 yearsMaldives: 98.8% of children under 5, 81.3 yearsMexico: 97% of children under 5, 75.3 yearsMarshall Islands: 83.8% of children under 5, 67.1 yearsNorth Macedonia: 99.8% of children under 5, 76.6 yearsMali: 86.7% of children under 5, 60.7 yearsMalta: 100% of children under 5, 83 yearsMyanmar: 81.3% of children under 5, 67.1 yearsMontenegro: 99.4% of children under 5, 77.9 yearsMongolia: 99.6% of children under 5, 72.4 yearsMozambique: 55% of children under 5, 63.8 yearsMauritania: 44.8% of children under 5, 68.7 yearsMalawi: 67.2% of children under 5, 67.6 yearsNamibia: 78.1% of children under 5, 67.5 yearsNiger: 63.9% of children under 5, 61.4 yearsNigeria: 42.6% of children under 5, 54.6 yearsNicaragua: 84.7% of children under 5, 75.1 yearsNetherlands: 100% of children under 5, 82 yearsNorway: 100% of children under 5, 83.2 yearsNepal: 77.2% of children under 5, 70.6 yearsNaoero: 95.9% of children under 5, 62.3 yearsNew Zealand: 100% of children under 5, 82 yearsOman: 100% of children under 5, 80.2 yearsPakistan: 42.2% of children under 5, 67.8 yearsPanama: 96.7% of children under 5, 79.8 yearsPeru: 96.4% of children under 5, 77.9 yearsPhilippines: 91.8% of children under 5, 69.9 yearsPapua New Guinea: 13.4% of children under 5, 66.3 yearsPoland: 100% of children under 5, 78.4 yearsPortugal: 100% of children under 5, 82.4 yearsParaguay: 71% of children under 5, 74 yearsWest Bank and Gaza: 99.2% of children under 5, 69.2 yearsQatar: 100% of children under 5, 82.5 yearsRomania: 100% of children under 5, 76.5 yearsRussian Federation: 100% of children under 5, 73.4 yearsRwanda: 85.6% of children under 5, 68 yearsSaudi Arabia: 99.2% of children under 5, 79 yearsSudan: 67.3% of children under 5, 66.5 yearsSenegal: 78.7% of children under 5, 68.9 yearsSingapore: 99.9% of children under 5, 83.3 yearsSolomon Islands: 88% of children under 5, 70.7 yearsSierra Leone: 90.4% of children under 5, 62 yearsEl Salvador: 91.2% of children under 5, 72.3 yearsSan Marino: 100% of children under 5, 85.8 yearsSomalia, Fed. Rep.: 5.9% of children under 5, 59 yearsSerbia: 99.9% of children under 5, 76 yearsSao Tome and Principe: 98.6% of children under 5, 69.9 yearsSuriname: 98.3% of children under 5, 73.8 yearsSlovak Republic: 100% of children under 5, 78.4 yearsSlovenia: 100% of children under 5, 82.3 yearsSweden: 100% of children under 5, 84.1 yearsEswatini: 53.5% of children under 5, 64.3 yearsTurks and Caicos Islands: 99.2% of children under 5, 78.2 yearsChad: 25.7% of children under 5, 55.2 yearsTogo: 82.9% of children under 5, 62.9 yearsThailand: 99.8% of children under 5, 76.6 yearsTajikistan: 95.8% of children under 5, 71.9 yearsTurkmenistan: 99.9% of children under 5, 70.2 yearsTimor-Leste: 60.4% of children under 5, 67.9 yearsTonga: 97.7% of children under 5, 73.1 yearsTrinidad and Tobago: 96.5% of children under 5, 73.6 yearsTunisia: 99.9% of children under 5, 76.7 yearsTurkiye: 98.4% of children under 5, 77.4 yearsTuvalu: 87.2% of children under 5, 67.3 yearsTanzania: 26.4% of children under 5, 67.2 yearsUganda: 32.2% of children under 5, 68.5 yearsUkraine: 99.8% of children under 5, 74.7 yearsUruguay: 99.8% of children under 5, 78.3 yearsUnited States: 100% of children under 5, 78.9 yearsViet Nam: 96.1% of children under 5, 74.7 yearsVanuatu: 43.4% of children under 5, 71.7 yearsSamoa: 66.9% of children under 5, 71.8 yearsSouth Africa: 88.6% of children under 5, 66.3 yearsZambia: 14% of children under 5, 66.5 yearsZimbabwe: 48.7% of children under 5, 63.1 yearsANDCHEETHMLINRUPNGSLESMRSOMTCDZMB

best-fit line line after adjusting

Four ways to measure the link

MethodrpCountries
Standard (Pearson), not adjusted+0.6843.0e-24166
By rank (Spearman), not adjusted+0.8582.7e-49166
Standard (Pearson), adjusted for national income+0.2700.000166
By rank (Spearman), adjusted for national income+0.3882.6e-7166

The rank version uses only each country’s place in line, from lowest to highest, so a few extreme countries count for less. The adjusted and unadjusted versions use the same 166 countries: those that report both measures and GDP per person. So the gap between them comes from the adjustment, not from a change in which countries are counted. Drop in the size of r after adjusting: +0.415 (a minus sign means it grew).

How solid is it?

Leaving out one country at a time, r ranges from +0.231 (without NGA) to +0.301 (without ETH). The bar above shows that range on a scale from −1 to +1, with the solid line at the full result. The single country that moves r most: NGA (-0.039).

Fragile: this link may not hold up.
  • direction is not consistent across regions

Within each region

Countries are not separate, unrelated cases, and neighbors share a lot. A link that holds inside each region is far more believable than one that shows up only when comparing regions.

nr
East Asia & Pacific24-0.00
Europe & Central Asia47-0.28
Latin America & Caribbean26+0.17
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan18+0.40
Sub-Saharan Africa44+0.23

By income third

If the link shows up only in the richest third of countries, it is a feature of rich countries, not a general pattern.

nr
Poorest third56+0.27
Middle third55+0.43
Richest third55+0.37

By largest religious group

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
Christians103+0.23
Muslims41+0.44

By last european coloniser

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
France23+0.44
Never a European colony17+0.01
Spain19+0.66
United Kingdom51+0.26

Without outliers (countries far outside the middle half of countries on either measure, by more than one and a half times the width of that middle half): r = +0.323 after dropping 16 countries.

Two series, one country

Both measures over the years for one country you pick. The two charts are stacked so they share only the years along the bottom.

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Over time, within countries

Everything above compares countries with each other at one moment. This section compares each country only with itself over 0years. So a link here can’t come from anything about a country that stays the same, such as its history, geography, institutions or culture.

Not enough history inside each country to look at this over time. That needs countries measured for several years in a row, and at least one of these measures is measured too rarely.

The data


% of children under 5
years		Years
United States USA100%78.92022, 2024
Sweden SWE100%84.12022, 2024
Slovenia SVN100%82.32022, 2024
Slovak Republic SVK100%78.42020, 2024
San Marino SMR100%85.82022, 2024
Russian Federation RUS100%73.42022, 2024
Romania ROU100%76.52020, 2024
Qatar QAT100%82.52020, 2024
Portugal PRT100%82.42020, 2024
Poland POL100%78.42017, 2024
Oman OMN100%80.22018, 2024
New Zealand NZL100%822022, 2024
Norway NOR100%83.22022, 2024
Netherlands NLD100%822022, 2024
Malta MLT100%832022, 2024

World Bank, World Development Indicators
World Bank, World Development Indicators

Sources

Birth registration

Completeness of birth registration (%)

UNICEF · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

A measure of how far the state reaches: whether it knows a child exists. Based on surveys and sparse. It is near 100 across the rich world, so all the variation is at the other end.

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth, total (years)

World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

How this was computed

Data used: most recent value in 2010-2025; values come from 2010–2024. To adjust for income, each measure is first predicted from GDP per person (in percentage terms, on a log scale) with a straight-line fit. Only what is left over is then compared. This is called a partial correlation. The line is drawn the standard way (ordinary least squares), which picks the line that comes closest to all the countries at once. The error margins allow for countries in the same region resembling each other, using 7 World Bank regions. The q-value corrects for testing all 12,497 pairs at once, using the Benjamini–Hochberg method. Underlying data last updated DYB 2024. How the country data works · explore Birth registration and Life expectancy

This page shows that two measures go together. It does not show that Birth registration changes Life expectancy, or the reverse. These figures also describe countries, not individual people. See the ecological fallacy.

More links with Birth registration or Life expectancy