MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF CHILD MORTALITY: AN INVESTIGATION USING A CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF 102 COUNTRIES

Abstract

Child mortality remains a critical global challenge, particularly in developing regions such as Africa and South Asia. Despite significant global progress, with child mortality rates dropping from 61% to 37% since 1990, approximately 5 million children under the age of five died in 2020 alone. This research investigates the key determinants of under-five child mortality using cross-sectional data from 102 countries across all income levels for the year 2019. Drawing on existing literature, the study examines the impact of health expenditure, food inflation, gender parity in literacy, aggregate income, and carbon emissions on child mortality. A multiple linear regression model was employed, and assumptions of the classical linear regression were tested and satisfied. The results indicate that increased female literacy and public health expenditure are significantly associated with reductions in child mortality, while food inflation is positively associated with higher mortality rates. In contrast, GDP per capita and CO₂ emissions were found to be statistically insignificant in the global context. These findings suggest that governments should prioritize female education and invest more in public health to reduce under-five mortality. Future studies are encouraged to incorporate more variables and broader datasets to further explore regional differences and causal mechanisms.