Education, health and nutrition disparities
The child mortality rate also declined across all regions between the early and late 2000s and at fairly high rates (between 30 and 12 percent). The decline was slowest in sub-Saharan Africa, which started off with much higher levels compared to other regions. Child mortality only decreased from 128.53 to 113.2 per 1,000 live births between the early and the late 2000s in this region. Despite progress, the gap in child mortality between regions remained staggering in the period between 2006 and 2010. Child mortality is relatively low in Europe and Central Asia (16 percent). In contrast, every tenth child in sub-Saharan Africa and every twentieth child in South Asia is likely to face death before his or her fifth birthday. The child mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa is almost five times higher than that in developing countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Trends in nutrition outcomes by regions The gaps in maternal mortality across regions are striking, with mothers over 20 times more likely to die at childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa than in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the period between 2006 and 2010. This is so despite some impressive progress in sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal mortality fell by almost 30 percent, from 129 to 113 deaths per 100,000 live births, between the early and late 2000s.
The gaps in maternal mortality across regions are striking, with mothers over 20 times more likely to die at childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa than in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the period between 2006 and 2010.
Trends in stunting rates during the period since 2000 show reversals in some regions: while stunting rates fell in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, they rose by about 10 percent in East Asia and the Middle East and North Africa regions. The gap between the regions with the lowest and highest stunting rates is large, with South Asia having stunting levels over twice as high as those in East Asia Pacific. Overall, trends in such non-income aspects of well-being indicate substantial inequality, as measured by the regional averages of indicators that reflect educational, health and nutrition outcomes. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia lag behind all indicators, while Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe and Central Asia perform better across the board. In general, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa made faster progress in improving well-being compared to other regions. Progress in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa was mixed, with significant improvements in some indicators (i.e., primary completion rates, and child and maternal mortality), but weak or even negative improvements in others (i.e., secondary enrolment, total fertility and stunting rates).
4.2b.
Trends by income status
Figure 4.2 presents the levels and trends for indicators according to the income status of countries. Countries were classified as high-income, upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income, or low-income based on the quartile of per capita GDP at purchasing power parity in 2010.4 Trends in education outcomes by income status The primary completion rate in the period 2005–2010 reached 100 percent in high-income countries, 96 percent in upper-middle-income countries and was close to 90 percent in lower-middle-income countries. Low-income countries, however, failed to raise primary completion rates in the last decade, with the level stuck at around 64 percent.
Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries 123