Socioeconomic Inequalities in Infant Mortality in Egypt: Analyzing Trends between 1995 and 2014

This paper examines the trends in the socio-economic inequalities of infant mortality rates in Egypt during the period 1995-2014, using repeated cross sectional data from the National Demographic and Health Survey. A multivariate logistic regression model, concentration curves, and concentration indices are used to examine the demographic and socio-economic correlates of infant mortality, and how the degree of socio-economic disparities in child mortality rates has evolved over time. We find a significant drop in infant mortality rates from 63 deaths per 1000 live births in 1995 to 22 deaths per 1000 live births in 2014. Results show an inverse association between infant mortality rates and living standard measures, with the poor bearing the largest burden of early child mortality. Though the estimated concentration indices show a decline in the degree of socio-economic inequality in child mortality rates over time, infant mortality rate among the poor remains twice the rate of the richest wealth quintile. Nonetheless, this decline in the degree of socio-economic inequality in child mortality rates was not supported by the results of the multivariate logistic regression model. Results of the logistic model show higher odds of infant mortality among rural households, children who are twins, households with risky birth intervals. No statistically significant association was found between infant mortality and access to safe water, gender, and mothers' education. Infant mortality was negatively associated with household wealth, receiving a regular health care during pregnancy by mothers, having more than two under- five children. By identifying the correlates of child mortality, the findings of this paper inform intervention measures that aim at reducing child mortality rates and socio-economic inequalities in Egypt.