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Child Mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: Why Public Health Spending Matters

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  • Carl Grekou
  • Romain Perez

Abstract

Since 2000, child mortality has dramatically decreased in Africa. Based on an econometrical analysis over 45 sub-Saharan African countries, this paper analyses the determinants of such evolution, and shows that urbanization, sanitation improvement and GDP growth per capita played a critical role in this overall improvement over 2000-2011. The increase in public health expenditures proved to be also decisive, though the elasticity with mortality rate is much weaker. Reaching the Abuja target of 15% of public health expenditure in total public expenditures would have decreased the under-5 child mortality rate by 9% over 2001-2011. It could further reduce this rate by 14% over 2012-2021, and allow Africa to save 19.8 million of children lives. It would also help the region to achieve the Millennium Development Goal on child mortality (reduce by two thirds under-5 child mortality over 1990-2015) by 2022-23, while it would not be reached before 2027 otherwise, according to our estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Carl Grekou & Romain Perez, 2014. "Child Mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: Why Public Health Spending Matters," EconomiX Working Papers 2014-28, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    • Handle: RePEc:drm:wpaper:2014-28
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    Cited by:

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    3. Kaonga, Oliver & Masiye, Felix & Kirigia, Joses Muthuri, 2022. "How viable is social health insurance for financing health in Zambia? Results from a national willingness to pay survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Millennium Development Goals; MDGs; Under-5 mortality rate; sub-Saharan Africa; Public expenditure on health.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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