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Renewable Energy Reduces Infant Mortality in the Developing World

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  • You, Yaxuan
  • Huang, Kaixing

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of renewable energy growth on infant mortality by exploiting variation in renewable energy penetration driven by global technological progress and heterogeneous regional potential for renewables. Using data covering seven million births across 427 subnational regions in 54 developing countries, we find that a 10-percentage-point increase in the share of renewables in electricity generation reduces infant mortality by 1.99 deaths per 1,000 live births. Our results imply that the growth of renewable energy in these countries averted 1.2 million infant deaths from 1990 to 2020, corresponding to 8.23% of the total decline in infant mortality. The mortality decline is disproportionately concentrated among disadvantaged subpopulations and thus reduces inequality in infant mortality. Mechanism analysis indicates that air pollution abatement and local income growth serve as key channels.

Suggested Citation

  • You, Yaxuan & Huang, Kaixing, 2025. "Renewable Energy Reduces Infant Mortality in the Developing World," MPRA Paper 125038, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:125038
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Resul Cesur & Erdal Tekin & Aydogan Ulker, 2017. "Air Pollution and Infant Mortality: Evidence from the Expansion of Natural Gas Infrastructure," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(600), pages 330-362, March.
    2. Doruk Cengiz & Arindrajit Dube & Attila Lindner & Ben Zipperer, 2019. "The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1405-1454.
    3. Resul Cesur & Erdal Tekin & Aydogan Ulker, 2017. "Air Pollution and Infant Mortality: Evidence from the Expansion of Natural Gas Infrastructure," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(600), pages 330-362, March.
    4. Sarah Baird & Jed Friedman & Norbert Schady, 2011. "Aggregate Income Shocks and Infant Mortality in the Developing World," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 847-856, August.
    5. Uzma Ashraf & Toni Lyn Morelli & Adam B. Smith & Rebecca R. Hernandez, 2025. "Author Correction: Aligning renewable energy expansion with climate-driven range shifts," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 118-118, January.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources

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