Progress Toward the Health MDGs : Are the Poor Being Left Behind?

This paper looks at differential progress on the health Millennium Development Goals between the poor and better-off within countries. The findings are based on original analysis of 235 Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, spanning 64 developing countries over the period 1990-2011. Five health status indicators and seven intervention indicators are tracked for all the health Millennium Development Goals. In most countries, the poorest 40 percent have made faster progress than the richest 60 percent. On average, relative inequality in the Millennium Development Goal indicators has been falling. However, the opposite is true in a sizable minority of countries, especially on child health status indicators (40-50 percent in the cases of child malnutrition and mortality), and on some intervention indicators (almost 40 percent in the case of immunizations). Absolute inequality has been rising in a larger fraction of countries and in around one-quarter of countries, the poorest 40 percent have been slipping backward in absolute terms. Despite reductions in most countries, relative inequalities in the Millennium Development Goal health indicators are still appreciable, with the poor facing higher risks of malnutrition and death in childhood and lower odds of receiving key health interventions.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Buisman, Leander R., Wagstaff, Adam, Bredenkamp, Caryn
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2014-05
Subjects:	ABSOLUTE INEQUALITY, ABSOLUTE TERMS, ABSOLUTE VALUE, ABSOLUTE ­ INEQUALITY, AGED, ANNUAL GROWTH, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, ANTENATAL CARE, ANTENATAL VISITS, BABIES, BCG, BIRTH ATTENDANT, BIRTH ATTENDANTS, BREASTFEEDING, CAREGIVERS, CHILD HEALTH, CHILD MORTALITY, CIVIL SOCIETY, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, CONDOM, CONDOM USE, CONTRACEPTION, CONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCE, COUNTRY LEVEL, DEATH RATE, DEATH RATES, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPING WORLD, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, DIARRHEA, DISEASES, DYSENTERY, ECONOMICS, ECONOMICS LETTERS, EMERGENCY OBSTETRIC CARE, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, EXERCISES, FEVER, GINI COEFFICIENT, GROWTH PROCESS, GROWTH RATE, GROWTH RATES, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, HEALTH ECONOMICS, HEALTH INDICATORS, HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, HEALTH POLICY, HEALTH SECTOR, HEALTH STATUS INDICATORS, HEALTH SURVEYS, HIGH GROWTH, HIGH GROWTH RATE, HIV, HIV/AIDS, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUNGER, IMMUNIZATION, IMMUNIZATIONS, INCOME, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, INCOME GROWTH, INCOME INEQUALITY, INDEPENDENT VARIABLES, INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH STATUS, INEQUALITY MEASURES, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATE, INFANTS, INTERVENTION, KEY HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, LIVE BIRTHS, LIVING STANDARDS, MALARIA, MALARIA PREVENTION, MALARIA TREATMENTS, MALARIA-ENDEMIC COUNTRIES, MALARIOUS AREAS, MALNUTRITION, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH, MATERNAL DEATHS, MATERNAL HEALTH, MATERNAL MORTALITY, MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO, MEASLES, MEASLES IMMUNIZATION, MEDICINE, METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MINISTRIES OF HEALTH, MINORITY, MORTALITY, MORTALITY RATE, MOTHER, MOTHER-TO-CHILD, MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION, NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, NUMBER OF DEATHS, NUTRITION, ORAL REHYDRATION, ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY, ORT, PATIENTS, PNEUMONIA, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLIO, POOR PEOPLE, POPULATION INDICATORS, PREGNANCY, PREGNANT WOMEN, PRO-POOR, PRO-POOR GROWTH, PROGRESS, PUBLIC SERVICES, QUALITY OF HEALTH, QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE, RATE OF GROWTH, RATES OF GROWTH, RELATIVE INEQUALITY, SEX, SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTION, SKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANCE, SKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANTS, SKILLED HEALTH PERSONNEL, SKILLED PERSONNEL, SLEEP, SOCIAL SCIENCE, SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES, SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SYMPTOMS, SYPHILIS, TB, TELEVISION, TREATMENT, TUBERCULOSIS, TUBERCULOSIS CASES, UNDER-FIVE MORTALITY, USE OF CONTRACEPTION, VACCINE, WEALTH DISTRIBUTION,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/05/19581319/progress-toward-health-mdgs-poor-being-left-behind https://hdl.handle.net/10986/18792
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