Birth Registration for
Every Child by 2030:

Are we on track?

1© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring,
December 2019
Permission is required to reproduce any part of thispublication. Permission will be freely granted toeducational or non-profit organizations.
To request permission or for any other information on
this publication, please contact:
UNICEF
Data and Analytics Section
Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring
3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USA
Email: data@unicef.org
Website: data.unicef.org
All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF
to verify the information contained in this publication.
For any data updates subsequent to release, please
visit <data.unicef.org>.
Suggested citation: United Nations Children’s Fund,
Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030:
Are we on track?, UNICEF, New York, 2019.

Acknowledgements
The preparation of this report was initiated and coordinatedby Claudia Cappa and Nicole Petrowski, who were also
responsible for data analysis, interpretation of the results
and report writing. Colleen Murray was involved in data
analysis and assisted with document review and factchecking. Yadigar Coskun, Anastasia Mshvidobadze andHyunju Park provided support for data processing.
Valuable insights were received from Cornelius Williams,
Kirsten Di Martino and Erin Elzo.
Editing: Lois Jensen
Original design concept: Erika Porth
Final design and layout: Cecilia Silva Venturini

Birth Registration for
Every Child by 2030:

Are we on track?

4

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Contents
1. Birth registration and sustainable development ........................... 6
2. Progress and challenges in data availability and quality.............. 12
3. Where we stand today ......................................................................... 14
4. Barriers and disparities ........................................................................ 24
5. Assessing progress and looking to 2030 ....................................... 26
6. Realizing every child’s right to be registered at birth .................. 34
Technical annex ............................................................................................ 36
Endnotes ........................................................................................................ 41

1Birth registrationand sustainable development

Society first acknowledges a child’s existence and identity
through birth registration. The right to be recognized asa person before the law is a critical step in ensuring
lifelong protection and is a prerequisite for exercising allother rights.
A birth certificate is proof of that legal identity, and is
the basis upon which children can establish a nationality,
avoid the risk of statelessness and seek protection fromviolence and exploitation. For example, proof of age isneeded to help prevent child labour, child marriage andunderage recruitment into the armed forces. A birthcertificate may also be required to access social service
systems, including health, education and justice.
The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly in
September 20151 placed birth registration firmly on theinternational development agenda. It included a dedicatedtarget (16.9) under Goal 16: provide legal identity for all,including birth registration, by 2030. Complementing
this is target 17.9, which calls for support in building
the statistical capacity needed for strong national civil
registration systems. Such systems produce vitalstatistics, including those on birth registration, which
are foundational for achieving sustained human andeconomic development.
In accordance with the SDGs, UNICEF seeks to fulfil thepromise of universal birth registration, and a legal identity
for every child, by 2030.
One in four children under age 5 (166 million), on average,
are not registered. And even when they are, they may
not have proof of registration. An estimated 237 million
children under age 5 worldwide are currently without abirth certificate. The reasons are all too common: a lack ofresources and investment in accurate and comprehensive
civil registration systems, coupled with barriers inaccessing birth registration services, along with policy,
regulatory and institutional obstacles.
The last two decades have seen a rise in birth registrationlevels globally, with about 3 in 4 children under age
5 registered today compared to 6 in 10 around 2000.
However, progress has been uneven and additional
investments will be needed to achieve universal birth

6

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

registration. The rate of progress in one in three countries,
most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, will need to accelerate
if they are to meet the SDG target by 2030.
That said, simply raising birth registration levels is notenough. Improvements are also needed to enhance thequality of civil registration systems to achieve universal
coverage along with continuity, confidentiality and regulardissemination of data.2 Civil registration records must becontinuously maintained so they can be easily retrievedby individuals. Lapses in registration often mean thatcertificates, including birth certificates, are not issuedby civil registration authorities. This, in turn, can deprivechildren of the opportunity to exercise their rights. At thesame time, the registration process itself must be easily
available and accessible to all.
UNICEF recommends five specific actions to fulfil thepromise of birth registration for every child (see page 35).

The scope of this report
This publication presents the latest available country
data and global and regional estimates of the number of
unregistered children. It also assesses progress over timeand presents evidence for the amount of effort that will
be needed – at both global and regional levels – to achieve
universal birth registration by 2030.
Since birth registration ideally takes place immediately
after birth, estimates of the number of unregisteredchildren are provided for both those under 5 years ofage and under 1 year of age. Estimates are also provided
for the number of children and infants without birthcertificates.
The publication draws from some 400 data sources
spanning a period of nearly 20 years. Its findings areintended to inform the development of related policies
and programmes. The publication also seeks to raiseawareness of the need to strengthen civil registration
systems as the most effective strategy to achieve
universal birth registration and to ensure that every childis given a legal identity from birth.

7Legal identity

Birth registration

is operationally defined as the basic
characteristics that comprise anindividual’s identity, including name,sex and date of birth.3

The primary vehicle
for obtaining a legal
identity is throughthe birth registration
process.

This establishes theexistence of a person
under the law andprovides legal proofof his or her identity.4

Birth certificate
is a vital record, issued by thecivil registrar, that documents thebirth of a child.
Because it is a certified extract fromthe birth registration record, it provesthat registration has occurred – making
this document the first, and often only,
proof of legal identity, particularly forchildren.5

Civil
registrars

8

is the official recording of the occurrence andcharacteristics of a birth by the civil registrar
within the civil registry, in accordance withthe legal requirements of a country.

Birth certificates are often required to accesshealth care, education and other social services.
In Viet Nam, for instance, birth certificates are
required for enrolment in both preschool andprimary school.6 Having legal identification is
also critical in protecting children from violenceand exploitation. Proof of age can be used toprevent child labour (through the enforcementof minimum age of employment laws),
recruitment into the armed forces, prosecution
as an adult in criminal proceedings and childmarriage. Moreover, birth certification is legal
proof of one’s place of birth and family ties. Thus,
it is necessary for establishing a nationality andpreventing the risk of statelessness. Later inlife, birth certificates may be required to obtainsocial assistance or a job in the formal sector,
to buy or inherit property, and to vote.

are the officials authorized by law to carry out
the registration of vital events, including births,
within a well-defined area (such as a country, district ormunicipality) and for recording and reporting informationon those vital events for legal and statistical purposes.7

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

The process of birth registration

Declarationof birthby informant

Registrationof birth bycivil registrar

Issuance of birthcertificate bycivil registrar

Notification of birth(issued by hospital, midwife, village chief, etc.)

Birth registration and sustainable development

9Milestones in advancing universal birth registration

The right to be recognized as a person before the law and to be registeredat birth is acknowledged in nearly every major human rights instrument.

1948

December 1948

May 2002

December 1966

The Universal Declarationof Human Rights8International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights10

Article 6. Everyone has theright to recognition everywhereas a person before the law.

Article 24.
2. Every child shall be registered
immediately after birth and shallhave a name.
3. Every child has the right toacquire a nationality.

November 1959
Declaration of the Rightsof the Child9
Principle 3. The child shallbe entitled from his birth to aname and a nationality.

Reaffirms governments’commitment to ensure theregistration of all children at birth.13

December 1990
International Convention on
the Protection of the Rightsof All Migrant Workers andMembers of their Families12
Article 29. Each child of a migrant
worker shall have the right to a
name, to registration of birth and toa nationality.

November 1989

September 2006
The Committee on the Rightsof the Child addresses theissue of birth registration andformulates standards in its
General Comment No. 7 on
implementing child rights inearly childhood.15

December 2006
The Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities
and its Optional Protocol16
Article 18.
2. Children with disabilities shall be
registered immediately after birth andshall have the right from birth to a
name, the right to acquire a nationality
and, as far as possible, the right toknow and be cared for by their parents.

September 2004

Convention on the Rights of the Child11

UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement14

Article 7.
1. The child shall be registered immediately after birth andshall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquirea nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know andbe cared for by his or her parents.

Principle 20.
1. Every human being has the right to recognition
everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 8.
1. States Parties undertake to respect the right of the childto preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name,and family relations, as recognized by law, without unlawfulinterference.
2. Where a child is illegally deprived of some or all of theelements of his or her identity, States Parties shall provide
appropriate assistance and protection, with a view tospeedily re-establishing his or her identity.

10

General Assembly
resolution ‘A World Fit
for Children’

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

2006

2. To give effect to this right for internally displaced
persons, the authorities concerned shall issue to them all
documents necessary for the enjoyment and exercise of
their legal rights, such as passports, personal identification
documents, birth certificates and marriage certificates. In
particular, the authorities shall facilitate the issuance of new
documents or the replacement of documents lost in thecourse of displacement, without imposing unreasonableconditions, such as requiring the return to one’s area of
habitual residence in order to obtain these or other required
documents.

August 2007
First Latin American Regional
Conference on BirthRegistration and the Right to
Identity was held in Asuncion,
Paraguay, inspiring work to
improve civil registration inother regions.

January 2013

September 2015

The regional strategic plan wasendorsed by the ESCAP Committee
on Statistics at its third session18 andsubsequently supported in ESCAP
resolution 69/15 adopted in March
2013, urging that actions by countries
and development partners are alignedwith the plan’s eight outcomes.19

August 2010
First Conference of African
Ministers Responsible for Civil
Registration, held in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, was attended
by over 40 ministers from thecontinent and resulted in a
declaration and plan of action.

December 2012
In response to the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asiaand the Pacific (ESCAP) resolution 67/12,17
a regional strategic plan was drafted anda consensus reached at the Make Every
Life Count High-level Meeting on the
Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital
Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, hosted by
ESCAP and the World Health Organization.

June 2019The Sustainable Development Goals are
adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly, placing birth registration on
the international development agenda
with the inclusion of a dedicated target
under Goal 16: “the aim of providing
legal identity for all, including birth
registration, by 2030.”22

2014
Launch of the World Bank’s
Identification for Development(ID4D) platform and initiativethat seek to enable all people
to access services and rights
through digital identification
systems.

November 2014
The Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and
Vital Statistics Decade (2015-2024) was
proclaimed at the Ministerial Conference on
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asiaand the Pacific held in Bangkok, Thailand andsubsequently declared by ESCAP in resolution
71/14 in 2015.20 The ministerial meeting also
culminated in the adoption of a ministerial
declaration to ‘Get Every One in the Picture’,committing governments in the region to focus
efforts on improving civil registration and vitalstatistics systems.21

Representatives of the LIEG
Secretariat presented the UN Legal
Identity Agenda to an audience ofmore than 600 participants – madeup of representatives from African
governments, development agencies
and industry – at the Fifth Annual
ID4Africa Meeting in Johannesburg,
South Africa.

July 2018
United Nations Member States finalized the text of the
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migrationthat includes as one of its objectives to “ensure that
all migrants have proof of legal identity and adequate
documentation” and commits to “…ensure, throughappropriate measures, that migrants are issued
adequate documentation and civil registry documents,
such as birth, marriage and death certificates…”23

September 2018
Establishment of the time-bound inter-agency UN Legal
Identity Expert Group (LIEG) in support of the UN Legal
Identity Agenda 2020-2030. The agenda was formulated
in response to a request by the United Nations SecretaryGeneral to UN agencies to develop a common approach – incollaboration with the World Bank Group – to the broader
issue of civil registration and legal identity in support of the
SDG promise to leave no one behind. The expert groupis taking a unified approach to legal identity, starting frombirth, across the UN system. It is also providing support to
UN Member States to strengthen national civil registration,
vital statistics and identity management systems based oninternational standards and good practices.

Birth registration and sustainable development112Progress and challenges
in data availability and quality

The SDG target of a legal identity for all, including birth
registration, by 2030 is measured by indicator 16.9.1: theproportion of children under 5 years of age whose births havebeen registered with a civil authority. The primary sources
for such data are vital statistics drawn from civil registration
systems, national censuses and household surveys,
including those implemented as part of international survey
programmes such as the Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).
Functioning civil registration systems are the main vehicles
through which a legal identity for all – and SDG target
16.9 – can be achieved. Civil registration systems that areoperating effectively compile vital statistics that are used tocompare the estimated total number of births in a country
with the absolute number of registered births during agiven period. However, the systematic recording of births
in many countries remains a serious challenge, highlighting
the urgent need to improve and strengthen civil registrationand vital statistics.

12

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

A recent UNICEF review of 14 countries found a wide
range of progress in this area.24 While most countries
had strategic plans to improve civil registration systems,
persistent gaps and challenges remained. They included:
insufficient legal frameworks to support the productionof vital statistics, prohibitive fees for registration, complex
and cumbersome processes for late registration, limited
resources (both financial and human), underdeveloped
quality assurance mechanisms, persistent barriers toaccess, and lack of completeness of records, limiting theaccuracy and reliability of vital statistics.
While data coverage has improved over time, this haslargely been the result of investment in collecting dataon birth registration in low- and middle-income countries
through household surveys. In fact, in the absence of
reliable administrative records, household surveys havebecome a key source of data to monitor levels and trends
in birth registration.

Over the last two and a half
decades, the number ofcountries with household
survey data on birth
registration has risen
dramatically – to over 120

1993

2000

2005

59

79

FIGURE 1. Cumulative number ofcountries with household survey
data on birth registration

Close to 1 in 4 countries
lack sufficient data tomonitor SDG target 16.9
FIGURE 2. Proportion of countries
with no or insufficient trend dataon birth registration, by region
No dataInsufficient trend data

2010

2019

108

121

50

40

12
14

30

11
20

16

10

0

5

0

0

4

5

WesternEuropeNorth
AmericaWest andCentral Africa

EasternEurope andCentral Asia

The timeliness of birth registration data varies dramatically.
In some instances, the latest source of globally comparable
data for a country dates back to 2006, while in others,
it is as recent as 2018. Available data indicate the levelof birth registration at the time of collection and do notnecessarily reflect the current situation. This is particularly
relevant in countries affected by recent crises or conflicts.
In addition, the results of any recent initiatives, campaigns
or investments to improve levels of birth registration may
not be reflected in available figures.
It is also important to note that figures obtained throughsurveys and censuses are highly sensitive to the way inwhich questions are formulated. This is especially trueof questions regarding the civil authorities in charge ofrecording births. Respondents may not always be clear on
who these authorities are and may misinterpret notifying
a church or village chief of a birth as formal registration.
Household surveys generally customize questionnaires
by naming the specific national authority responsible forregistration. But even then, confusion about the birth
registration process may remain.
Similarly, questions regarding the possession of a birthcertificate may also be the source of erroneous data,

33
21

13

12

South
Asia

Eastern andSouthern
AfricaMiddle Eastand North
Africa9

24
14

Latin America East Asiaand theand theCaribbean
Pacific

Worldsince respondents may confuse a birth certificate witha health or vaccination card or some other document.
To minimize the risk of misreporting, in some household
surveys, interviewers who administer the questionnaire
ask respondents to show the birth certificate. For thesereasons, the data on registration and possession of birthcertificates obtained via caregiver reports need to beinterpreted with a degree of caution.
Finally, national statistics can mask gaps in levels of birth
registration among children who are highly vulnerable.
They can include children living outside of households,
undocumented nationals, refugees and migrants orother groups who are at particular risk of statelessness
and of being left behind in the birth registration process.
This is often the case in countries plagued by ongoingand protracted crises and neighbouring countries thatare dealing with refugees and migrants fleeing conflictand instability. Algeria, for instance, has achieved nearly
universal birth registration among children under 5 at
the national level, according to the latest available data.
But this does not reflect the situation of roughly 21,000
Sahrawi refugee children under age 5 living in camps inthe province of Tindouf.25

Progress and challenges in data availability and quality

13

14

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

3

Where westand today

Were we stand today

15

16

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Were we stand today

17

18

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Were we stand today

19

20

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Were we stand today

21

22

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Were we stand today

23

4

Barriers and disparities

Families often face steep barriers to birth registration,
including long distances to the nearest registration facility,
lack of knowledge about how to register a child, and highfees required for registering a birth or obtaining a birthcertificate. Moreover, traditional customs and practices
may not encourage or emphasize formal birth registration
processes. And institutional procedures sometimes treat

24

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

children from certain ethnic or religious groups differently,
or impose restrictions – whether formally by law orinformally in practice – on a mother’s ability to register her
child without the father’s involvement. Such barriers resultin disparities in birth registration levels among children ofdifferent social, economic and cultural backgrounds.

•

Lack of knowledge about the registration processcontinues to be an obstacle in many places.
In half of 45 countries with available data, a majorityof mothers/caregivers of unregistered children lackknowledge of how to register a child’s birth. In theother half of countries, most mothers/caregivers
seem aware of the birth registration process,suggesting other barriers to registration.

•

Disparities in birth registration based on amother’s education are evident. Globally, about
80 per cent of children under age 5 whose mothers
have at least a secondary education have their births
registered compared to just 60 per cent of children
whose mothers have no education.

•

In some countries, children from marginalizedgroups may face higher barriers to registration.
These barriers can result from living in remote areasor among communities that frequently move, making
access to birth registration services more difficult.
Children of parents who migrate or are refugees canbe particularly vulnerable to statelessness since,
without birth registration, they cannot prove theirnationality or legal identity. In addition, traditionalcustoms or practices may discourage formal birth
registration processes. In Montenegro and Serbia,
for example, birth registration levels among Roma
infants under age 1 are lower than national averages(90 per cent versus 98 per cent in both countries).

••

In no region are significant differences foundin the prevalence of birth registration between
boys and girls. Gender parity in birth registration
has been achieved in practically all countries withavailable data. However, gender inequality might
still impact registration. For example, in somecountries, single mothers, mothers who have notregistered their marriage, or mothers without amarriage certificate (as in cases where children
are born of religious, customary or polygamous
marriages), may not be allowed to register the birthof their children.
Some countries impose fees to register a childand/or obtain a birth certificate. Around 65
million unregistered children under age 5 live in
sub-Saharan African countries where there are fees
associated with birth registration. Birth registration
is free by law in all South Asian countries, except
the Maldives. However, every country in the region,

with the exception of Afghanistan, has fees
associated with birth registration, which typicallyreflect fines for late registration.
•

Children from the poorest households are lesslikely than their richest counterparts to havetheir births registered. Even in countries where
birth registration is free by law, there are often
opportunity costs, including those related to travel,that are difficult to measure but can directly affectregistration levels. Globally, children from thepoorest 20 per cent of households are one-quarter
less likely to have their births registered thantheir richest counterparts. This gap is especiallypronounced in some regions. In sub-SaharanAfrica, children in the poorest quintile are lessthan half as likely to have their births registeredthan those in the richest quintile. In South Asia, 86
per cent of children under age 5 from the richest
quintile have their births registered compared to
53 per cent of those from the poorest quintile.

•

Globally, children living in urban areas arearound 30 per cent more likely to be registeredthan their rural counterparts. An analysis of
70 countries (about one third of which are lowincome countries) shows that urban populationsof children fare better in terms of birth registrationin about 80 per cent of countries.26 Targeted
campaigns in rural areas aimed at boosting levelsof birth registration may partly explain why a clear
urban advantage is not systematically seen acrossall countries.

•

However, not all urban children benefit equally,
since the advantage for urban children isstrongly associated with household wealth. In
nearly half of the 70 countries analysed, children
from households in the richest urban quintile are
more likely to have their births registered than thosefrom households in the poorest urban quintile.27
This suggests that the indirect costs of registrationmust also be addressed by bringing service points
closer to communities and using innovative
solutions such as technology and mobile services
to reduce travel costs and time away from
employment to register children. This is especiallypertinent in countries where the civil registry iscentralized, and district offices are some distancefrom communities.

Barriers and disparities

25

5

Assessing progress and looking to 2030

Today, about 3 in 4 children under age 5 are registeredcompared to 6 in 10 around 2000. This progress has beenachieved mostly in the last 10 years. However, even withaccelerated progress, the world is not on track to reach
SDG target 16.9 by 2030. Additional investments will be
required to ensure universal birth registration by 2030,
particularly among the most vulnerable children.

Without the progress of the last two decades, thenumber of unregistered children today would havereached 266 million

An additional

100 million children
would be unregistered today
if no progress had been madeTo date, global progress in birth registration has
benefited the poorest and richest children alike, withsome exceptions. This is the case in sub-SaharanAfrica, where levels of birth registration have increased
only among children from the richest households.
Equity gaps between the rich and poor have started
to close in parts of South Asia. In India, for example,
birth registration levels have risen for both the richestand poorest segments of the population, and the gap
between the two has narrowed. On the other hand,
Pakistan has recorded rising levels of birth registration
since 2006-2007, but only among children from therichest households.

166 million
childrenremain unregistered today

Advances in birth registration have reached the poorest children in most regions
FIGURE 19. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, by household wealth quintile and by region

South Asia

West and Central Africa

100

Eastern andSouthern Africa

Middle Eastand North Africa

World

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Around 2000

Today

Around 2000

Today

Around 2000
PoorestToday

Around 2000

Today

Around 2000

RichestNote: Population coverage was insufficient to calculate regional aggregates for East Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

26

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

TodayMore needs to be done to fulfil the promise of universal birth registration by 2030
FIGURE 20. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected
If progress

87% is accelerated
83% If observed

75%

trends continue

63%

61 %

Around2000

Today

Around
2008

2025

2030

How to read the projections
The figures on this page and the following regional pages show how the prevalence of birth registration has changed over time, in addition to two scenarios that could occur in the future.
The projection scenarios build on existing trends. The scenario depicting ‘observed trends continue’ shows expected values if each country were to continue on its observed (or assumed)
path of progress. The ‘progress is accelerated’ scenario shows expected values if: (1) those countries that are projected to be on track to achieve universal birth registration by 2030
continue on their observed path of progress, (2) those countries that have a positive average annual rate of change catch up to countries in the region that are on track, and (3) thosecountries that have either a negative average annual rate of change or have not made any progress catch up to countries in the region that have made at least some progress but are noton track. At the global and regional level, this represents the more ambitious of the two scenarios. Both scenarios account for slowing effects that are to be expected as birth registrationlevels approach 100 per cent.
More detailed notes on the methods of calculation can be found in the technical annex.

Unless progress is accelerated, the total number of unregistered children in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to increase
and will exceed 100 million by 2030
FIGURE 21. Number of children under age 5 whose births are not registered, observed and projected, by region

Prevalence remains at today's levels

Observed trends continue

Progress is accelerated

111 million
94 million
94 million

94 million

100 million
84 million
51 million

50 million

51 million

21 million

19 million

21 million

Today

2025

2030

Today
Sub-Saharan Africa

51 million

11 million
6 million
2025
South Asia

2030

2 million
3 million

21 million
Today

2025

2030

Rest of the world

Note: Figures have been rounded.

Assessing progress and looking to 2030

27

Among countries with available data, progress in 1 in 3 (the majority in sub-Saharan Africa) will need to accelerate toachieve universal birth registration by 2030
FIGURE 22. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered and average annual rate of change, in countries on track and not
on track towards the SDG target

35
30

Average annual rate of change (%)

25
20
15
10
5
0
10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

-5
-10

Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered
Countries not on track

Countries on track

Note: This chart does not include those countries that have already met the target of universal birth registration and those for which there were insufficient data to assess trends.

28

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

90

100

South Asia
South Asia has made notable progress in birth registration, largely driven by improvements in Bangladesh, India and
Nepal. Birth registration levels in the region as a whole have tripled, from around 23 per cent nearly two decades ago to
70 per cent today. Nevertheless, achievement of universal birth registration by 2030 is likely to fall short for the region.
Efforts will need to accelerate dramatically in Afghanistan and Pakistan in particular.
Birth registration levels have tripled over the last 20 years
FIGURE 23. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in South Asia

99% Ifis progress
accelerated
94% If observed

trends continue

70%

29%

23%

Around2000

Around
2011

Today

2025

2030

East Asia and the PacificHistorically, birth registration levels have been relatively high in East Asia and the Pacific, with a period of about 10 years
in which no progress was observed. Nevertheless, recent years have witnessed an increased rate of change. The region
as a whole could see the achievement of universal birth registration by 2030, but only if certain conditions are met: Countries that are on track towards the 2030 target, such as Cambodia and Indonesia, must sustain their rate of progress;
countries with slow progress, such as the Philippines, must match the average rate of change seen in countries that areon track; and countries where progress has stalled or declined, such as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, must beable to correct their course.
Universal birth registration could be achieved under certain conditions
FIGURE 24. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in East Asia and the Pacific
If progress

100% is accelerated
99% If observed

91%
80%

81%

Around2000

Around2010

Todaytrends continue

2025

2030

Assessing progress and looking to 2030

29

Middle East and North Africa
While the Middle East and North Africa has had generally high levels of birth registration, no evidence of progress has
been seen over time. Prevalence has remained more or less stagnant since 2000, possibly reflecting the lingering impact
of conflict and instability in parts of the region. In fact, because of this slow pace of change, the region is not projected
to meet the target of universal birth registration by 2030 under either scenario. All countries with available data in the
Middle East and North Africa have levels of birth registration above 90 per cent and are anticipated to reach the target
if acceleration is achieved. The exception is Yemen, which is projected to remain off track even if the rate of observed
progress were to double.
Progress has stagnated since around 2000
FIGURE 25. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in the Middle East and North Africa
If progress

90%

Around2000

90%

Around2006

95% is accelerated
93% If observed

92%

trends continue

Today

2025

2030

Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Eastern Europe and Central Asia has traditionally had very high levels of birth registration, with almost all countries having
levels above 95 per cent. All countries with trend data in the region are on track to achieve the target of universal birth
registration by 2030. Efforts in the region have focused on reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized groups andclosing remaining gaps.
The region is on track and focused on closing remaining gaps
FIGURE 26. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

94%

100% If progress99%

is accelerated

100% If observed

89%

Around2000

30

trends continue

Around2006

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Today

2025

2030

Assessing progress and looking to 2030

31

Latin America and the Caribbean
In Latin America and the Caribbean, levels of birth registration have been steadily rising since the early 2000s, althoughprogress has slowed slightly in recent years. National data show a mixed picture: Roughly half of countries in the region
with trend data are not projected to meet the SDG target. Even accelerated efforts to bring these countries, such as
the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, up to speed will not be enough to achieve universal birth registration by the 2030
deadline. Reaching the last 2 to 3 per cent of children who are expected to remain unregistered by 2030 requires aconcerted focus on vulnerable groups – indigenous populations in particular.
Progress has been made but not enough to meet the 2030 target
FIGURE 27. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in Latin America and the Caribbean
If progress

98% is accelerated
97% If observed

94%
88%

trends continue

76%

Around2000

32

Around2008

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Today

2025

2030

West and Central Africa
Recent years have seen advances in birth registration in West and Central Africa, which has its share of success stories.
Liberia, for example, increased the level of birth certification from 4 per cent to 25 per cent between 2007 and 2013.
However, birth registration levels have fluctuated in other countries, with some showing stagnation or even a decline.
This slow progress, coupled with inconsistent trends, threatens to derail the region’s chances of meeting the 2030 target.
However, if the region is able to accelerate progress in the coming years, then there could be far fewer unregisteredchildren by the end of the SDG era than if observed trends continue.
Recent advances will not be enough to put the SDG target within reach for the region
FIGURE 28. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in West and Central Africa

65% If progressis accelerated

51%

55% If observed

trends continue

40%

39%

Around2000

Around
2006

Today

2025

2030

Eastern and Southern Africa
Over the last two decades, Eastern and Southern Africa has seen no significant progress in birth registration. And because
the rate of change has been so slow, even an acceleration among those countries that lag behind would only result ina marginal increase in the regional prevalence by 2030. Without substantial efforts and investment, the region will not
be able to achieve birth registration for every child. The good news is that some countries, including Mozambique andNamibia, have demonstrated that progress is possible, and lessons on what worked should be explored and possibly
replicated in other parts of the region.
The target is out of reach, but some countries have exemplified progress
FIGURE 29. Percentage of children under age 5 whose births are registered, observed and projected, in Eastern and Southern Africa

If progress

53% is accelerated
48% If observed

trends continue

40%
34%

36%

Around2000

Around
2010

Today

2025

2030

Assessing progress and looking to 2030

33

6Realizing every child’s rightto be registered at birthEvery birth should be recorded, and every child should
be recognized before the law. Only then can societies
worldwide be truly inclusive and equitable. By providing
all children with proof of legal identity from day one, theirrights can be protected and universal access to social
services can be enabled. If we are to fulfil our promise
to leave no one behind, we must ensure that every childis registered at birth and receives a passport to lifelong
protection – a birth certificate.
Numerous barriers, including financial ones, can hindera child’s right to be registered at birth. However, when
governments make birth registration and certification
free, the process becomes more accessible to thepoorest segments of the population. This, in turn, helps
break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
The evidence presented in this report suggests thatinvestments to increase birth registration levels havebegun to yield results. But it also shows that much
more effort is needed to reach the goal of universal
birth registration and to improve civil registries to thepoint where such gains are irreversible. If commitment
is sustained and programmes strengthened, ongoingprogress will gain momentum, and the promise offulfilling every child’s birth right will be achieved.
The statistical analyses on the preceding pages showthat unregistered children come from the poorest
households, live in rural areas and have mothers withno or little formal education. In some countries, certain
ethnic or religious groups have lower birth registrationlevels than the national average. The data also show thatmany children are registered later in life. But even then,many fail to obtain a birth certificate. All of these findings
suggest that interventions to accelerate progress in birth
registration should be given priority, especially in rural
areas within a country and among socially disadvantaged
groups, and targeted action must be taken to ensure thatall population groups are covered.
Progress in birth registration and certification canbe accelerated and coverage expanded throughinvestment in safe and innovative technologies, suchas telecommunication networks and digital databases,
which bring services closer to families. That said, any
technological solutions need to be thoroughly vetted to34

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

protect data and information collected about children andtheir caregivers. Linked and interoperable systems – both
digitized and traditional – must be carefully regulated
through monitoring and accountability to ensure theirsecurity and confidentiality.
Achieving such progress will require engagement and buyin at all levels, from governments to local communities.
Governments need to understand that birth registration
is a smart investment from both a social and economic
point of view, and communities must understand why
and how it benefits them. Without community demand
for services, there is much less incentive for governments
to act and for communities to change their current way of
doing things.

UNICEF calls for five actions to protect all children, starting from birth

1. Provide every child with a certificate upon birth
All children should be registered at birth – regardlessof gender, ethnicity, religion and/or status – throughuniversal, accessible systems. Laws and policies
must be reviewed and revised to ensure that every
child subsequently receives and can use his or herbirth certificate.
UNICEF calls for every child to receive a birthcertificate – proof of his or her legal identity –following birth registration. And for governments
to cover the costs of civil registration systems
and ensure those services are accessible andconfidential. Parents should not be prevented fromregistering their children due to financial barriers,
such as late fees or other additional costs.
2. Empower all parents, regardless of gender,
to register their children at birth
All mothers should be empowered to pass on theirnationality to their children on an equal basis asmen, regardless of marital status. By eliminating
gender discrimination in nationality laws andpolicies, we can combat further marginalization of
the most vulnerable.
UNICEF calls for every child to be legally registeredby either parent to protect his or her right toacquire a nationality at birth. This will help to avoid
the risk of statelessness, preserve family unity andguarantee access to education, health care andother social services throughout life.
3. Link birth registration to social services
Linking civil registration to other systems – including
identity, health, social protection and education –increases the chances that unregistered children
will be identified and thus serves as an entry point
for registration. Increases in birth registration
coverage can, in turn, facilitate children’s accessto social services throughout their lives. It also
provides governments with a more accurate
count of the population, which is essential forplanning and implementing development policies
and programmes, particularly in health, education,
housing, water and sanitation, employment,
agriculture and industrial production.

UNICEF calls for a coordinated, cost-effective andcohesive approach to connect all systems to ensurethat no child is left unregistered and deprived of
the opportunity to access social services.
4. Invest in safe and innovative technologicalsolutions to facilitate birth registration
Technology can be used to obtain timely, accurate
and permanent records. For example, the use ofmobile communications technologies, including
cell phones, can help reach unregistered children
by minimizing the distance and related travel costs
for remote populations. It is essential, however,that all data and information collected throughidentity and registration systems – both digitizedand traditional – must be kept confidential toprotect children and their families.
UNICEF calls for more innovative solutions,
including technology and mobile services, toincrease access to, and quality of, birth registration
services.
5.
Engage communities to demand birth
registration for every child
Demand from local communities is a criticalcatalyst for governments to take action. To
create effective, sustainable change, community
members – particularly parents and community
leaders – must understand how and why birth
registration benefits their families. Only then will
behaviours and social norms begin to change.
UNICEF calls for increased community engagement
to build that buy-in and, in turn, increase incentives
to establish and expand birth registration systems.

Realizing every child’s right to be registered at birth

35

Technical annex
Data sources

Calculation of current global figures

UNICEF global databases include birth registration
estimates for 174 countries, primarily drawn from nationally
representative household surveys such as the Multiple
Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and
Health Surveys (DHS). Other data sources in the global
database include other national surveys, censuses and vitalstatistics from civil registration systems. Of the 174 countries
with data, 163 have estimates that are recent enough (2010
to 2018) to be included in the calculation of current global
and regional levels. (For a summary of data availability byregion and by indicator, see table below). Maps only include
the latest available data point for each country between 2010
and 2018.

Global estimates of birth registration for children under age
5 and under age 1 are calculated based on the following:(1) latest available data for each country, within the period
2010 to 2018, (2) estimated coverage of birth registrationfor 30 countries in Western Europe, 2 in North America
and an additional 24 countries with no comparable datain the UNICEF global database made on the basis of theinformation obtained from UNSD on estimated coverage ofbirth registration within national civil registration systems,and (3) proxy indicator of hukou registration for China.

For countries without an available data source, informationon the estimated coverage of birth registration within
national civil registration systems was obtained from theUnited Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). This was the casefor 30 countries in Western Europe and 2 in North America
as well as an additional 24 countries in other regions.
Several sources are used by UNSD to obtain coverage ofbirth and death registration for more than 230 countries andareas. The primary source is the ‘Quality of vital statistics
obtained from civil registration’ page on the United Nations
Demographic Yearbook Vital Statistics Questionnairecompleted by national statistical offices. Other sources
include UNSD workshops that have been conducted in thepast, when coverage information was obtained from country
representative(s) either from the national statistical officeor the civil registration authority. For more information, visit<unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/crvs/#coverage>.
For China, internationally comparable and nationally
representative data on birth registration prevalence havenot been available historically. However, data are available
for a related indicator on registration of children’s permanent
residence, known as ‘hukou’, by the household registration
department. Hukou registration is the only indication thatbirth registration has been carried out and completed, andhukou registration is one of the most important componentsof the household management system in China. The latest
available data on children’s hukou registration were obtained
from the National Population Sample Survey (also referred toas a ‘mini-census’) conducted in 2015 by the National Bureauof Statistics of China.
Demographic data are from the United Nations, Departmentof Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World
Population Prospects 2019, Online edition, Revision 1.

36

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Global estimates of possession of a birth certificate forchildren under age 5 and under age 1 are calculated basedon the following: (1) latest available data for each country,
within the period 2010 to 2018, and (2) for the 30 countries inWestern Europe and 2 in North America, an assumption wasmade that all children have birth certificates on the basis of
the information obtained from UNSD on estimated coverageof birth registration within national civil registration systems.
For this set of estimates, no additional assumptions are madefor other countries on possession of a birth certificate.
Global figures are calculated as a population-weighted
average of the prevalence of birth registration in each of
the regions used for UNICEF global reporting (see page40). The prevalence of birth registration (or certification) is
subtracted from 100 to obtain the prevalence of children
without birth registration (or without a birth certificate).
Absolute numbers of unregistered children are calculated
by applying the resulting prevalence of children without birth
registration (or without a birth certificate) to the respective
child population (either those under age 5 or under age 1).

Calculation of current regional figures
Each regional prevalence is calculated as a populationweighted average of the national values. In using this method,
the prevalence in countries without data is implicitly assumed
to be the same as the population-weighted average of othercountries in the same region. Regional estimates are presented
according to the regional classification used for UNICEF global
reporting. Regional estimates are presented even when the
population coverage falls below the standard threshold of 50
per cent, but are noted accordingly throughout the report.
The same set of methods and assumptions as thoseoutlined above for calculation of global figures of overall birth
registration and possession of a birth certificate applies tothe calculation of regional figures.

In the case of East Asia and the Pacific, the data for China
on hukou registration are not directly comparable with othersources of birth registration in the UNICEF global database.
However, the available evidence seems to suggest that thelevel of birth registration (as measured by hukou registration)
in China is at least as high as most other countries in theregion. For this reason, there is practically no change inthe regional figures of overall birth registration prevalence
among children under age 5 and under age 1 if China were
to be excluded due to lack of comparability of the data.
However, since there are no comparable data for China on
possession of a birth certificate (both for children under age
5 and under age 1), population coverage for this indicator for
East Asia and the Pacific is below 50 per cent.

Country-level assessment of progress
For statistical purposes, complete birth registration coverageis defined as 99.5 per cent or higher. An assessment ofprogress was conducted for each country that had at least
two comparable data sources, provided that the mostrecent data source was from 2010 or later. There were156 countries for which an assessment of progress was
possible. Of these 156 countries, 67 were considered tohave already met the target of complete birth registration
coverage.
For each country, the average annual rate of change (AARC)
was calculated using the two most recent data points.
Given that evidence suggests that progress slows as levelsof birth registration approach 100 per cent, a country’s
observed AARC may no longer be plausible when its
projected levels get higher. To adjust for this, the projectedbirth registration prevalence for each country followed thecountry’s trajectory, starting from the latest data point until
the prevalence of birth registration reached a level at which
its observed AARC has never been recorded (at least among
the countries with available trend data). At this point, theprojection scenario continues forward at the highest AARC
observed by any country within that tier. The followingtiers were established (based on starting levels of birth
registration): 0-24 per cent, 25-74 per cent, 75-84 per cent,85-94 per cent and above 95 per cent.
On the basis of the projections, countries were assigned to
one of the following two categories, which represent theirprogress towards the target of universal birth registration
by 2030:• On track – the projected prevalence of birth registration
after applying the method described above is expected toreach a level of 99.5 per cent or above by 2030.

•

Not on track – the projected prevalence of birth
registration after applying the method described above
is not expected to reach a level of 99.5 per cent or aboveby 2030.

These analyses need to be interpreted with some degreeof caution since the changes observed that were used todetermine a country’s progress may be within confidence
intervals.

Global trend analysis
For the global-level trend analysis, countries that had at least
two comparable data sources were included if they met thefollowing criteria: the earliest data point corresponds to arange between 1999 and 2005, a mid-point corresponds toa range between 2006 and 2010, and/or the most recent
data point corresponds to a range between 2011 and 2018.
An exception to this rule was made for 29 countries that
had an available data point that was one or two years
outside of these ranges. For China, trend data for the years
2000, 2010 and 2015 on children’s hukou registration werealso available and therefore included in the calculation of
the global AARC figures.
For countries that had only two available data points touse for the trend analysis, the missing data point (either
the earliest or a mid-point) was imputed by applying thecountry’s observed AARC between the two available data
points, based on the assumption of a straight-line trajectory.
This methodology was applied to roughly one third of thecountries with trend data. This was done in order to maximize
the available country trend data.

Regional trend analysis
For the regional trend analysis, the same set of countries
included in the global analysis was utilized. Each region wasassessed separately in terms of the availability of country
trend data within the region. For example, if the majority of
the available country trend data in a region corresponded
to the years 2000, 2011 and 2016, then the regional AARC
figures were calculated as a 11-year trend (to capture thechange that occurred between 2000 and 2011) and a 5-year
trend (to capture the more recent change that occurred
between 2011 and 2016). In this sense, each region’s AARC
figures have been tailored to reflect progress observed inthat region over a specific period of time.
As was done in the case of the global trend estimates, thevalue for ‘today’ (calculated on the basis of all countries withavailable data in the region between 2010 and 2018 and notjust those with trend data) was used as the starting point.

Technical annex

37Using the example above, the 5-year AARC was projectedbackwards to approximate the prevalence of birth registration
at the regional level in 2011; the 11-year AARC applied to theresulting 2011 value was projected backwards to approximate
the prevalence of birth registration at the regional level in
2000. This was done to align with the current estimates andto avoid having disparate figures within a region due to more
limited data availability for the trend analysis.

Projection analysis
A set of projection scenarios were developed on the basisof existing trends. The first step for the ‘observed trends
continue’ scenario was to calculate a population-weighted
average of country projected values (for those countries
with trend data) in each region at each year from 2020 until
2030. For countries with a current (2010 or later) estimate
but no available trend data, values were projected assuming
the average progress of the region. This scenario shows the
expected values at global and regional levels if each country
were to continue on its observed (or assumed) path ofprogress. Global-level projected values were calculated as
population-weighted averages of the projected prevalenceof birth registration in each of the regions.
The ‘progress is accelerated’ scenario shows expectedvalues if: (1) those countries that are projected to be
on track to achieve universal birth registration by 2030
continue on their observed path of progress, (2) thosecountries that have a positive AARC (indicating some levelof progress) speed up and assume the weighted AARC ofthose countries in the region that are on track, and (3) thosecountries that have either a negative average annual rate ofchange (indicating a decline in the level of birth registration)or have not made any progress (indicating stagnation) catchup and assume the weighted AARC of those countries in
the region that have made at least some progress but are
not on track. This represents the more ambitious of the two
scenarios.
Both scenarios account for slowing effects that are to be
expected as birth registration levels approach 100 per cent.

Map disclaimer
Maps are stylized and not to scale. They do not reflect a
position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country,
territory or area or the delimitation of any frontiers. The
dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in
Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The
final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed
upon by the parties. The final boundary between the Sudan
and South Sudan has not yet been determined, and the final
status of the Abyei area has not yet been determined.

38

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Footnotes on country data included in maps andfiguresFigures 3, 7, 11 and 15: Zeroes appearing in these figures do
not necessarily mean that there are no unregistered children
in these regions but rather that the estimates came to 0 afterrounding.
Figure 5: Only those countries with comparable data on
the level of birth registration among children under age 5
are included in the map. Available data for Argentina, thePlurinational State of Bolivia, Botswana, Indonesia, Liberia,
Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Thailand and Vanuatu were
only collected for the subset of children under age 5 witha birth certificate; therefore, data for these countries arepresented in figure 9. Available data for Belarus, Bulgaria,
Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Montserrat, Oman,
Qatar, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela refer to the percentage of births
registered; therefore, data for these countries are presented
in figure 13. Data for Chile refer to children aged 0 to 7 years
whose births are registered. Data for the Islamic Republic of
Iran refer only to the subset of children under age 5 with an
Iranian parent who has a national ID card. Data for the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic include children registered in
the family book. Data for Morocco refer to the percentage
of live births that occurred in the five years preceding thesurvey that were registered. Data for Pakistan do not include
Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Data for Turkey
refer to children registered with the population registry. Data
for South Sudan are from an older source (Sudan Household
Health Survey 2010) that was implemented in the country
prior to the country’s cession from the Sudan; however, data
refer to the prevalence of birth registration in the 10 southernstates that became South Sudan. Data for Togo include nonusual residents.
Figure 9: Only those countries with comparable data on thepossession of a birth certificate among children under age
5 are included in the map. Data for Pakistan do not include
Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Data for South
Sudan are from an older source (Sudan Household Health
Survey 2010) that was implemented in the country prior tothe country’s cession from the Sudan; however, data refer tothe prevalence of birth registration in the 10 southern statesthat became South Sudan. Data for Togo include non-usual
residents.
Figure 13: Only those countries with comparable data on
the level of birth registration among children under age 1
are included in the map. Available data for Argentina, thePlurinational State of Bolivia, Botswana, Liberia, Malawi,
Mauritania, Namibia and Thailand were only collected forthe subset of children under age 1 with a birth certificate;
therefore, data for these countries are presented in figure 17.

Data for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic include
children registered in the family book. Data for Pakistan do
not include Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Data for Peru refer to children aged 6 to 11 months and arefrom an older source since age-disaggregated data are notavailable for the latest source. Data for South Sudan are froman older source (Sudan Household Health Survey 2010) thatwas implemented in the country prior to the country’s cession
from the Sudan; however, data refer to the prevalence of birth
registration in the 10 southern states that became South
Sudan. Data for Togo include non-usual residents.

Bangladesh could not be calculated because the MICS 2019
dataset has not yet been published.
Figure 17: Only those countries with comparable data on thepossession of a birth certificate among children under age
1 are included in the map. Data for Pakistan do not include
Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Data for South
Sudan are from an older source (Sudan Household Health
Survey 2010) that was implemented in the country prior tothe country’s cession from the Sudan; however, data refer tothe prevalence of birth registration in the 10 southern statesthat became South Sudan. Data for Togo include non-usual
residents.

Figure 14: Data for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
include children registered in the family book. Data for
Pakistan do not include Azad Jammu and Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan. Data for Paraguay are from MICS 2016. Data for
Zimbabwe are from DHS 2015. The confidence interval for

Figure 18: Data for Togo include non-usual residents. The
confidence interval for Bangladesh could not be calculated
because the MICS 2019 dataset has not yet been published.

Summary of data availability and population coverage

Birth registration amongchildren under age 5

Birth certificate amongchildren under age 5

Birth registration amongchildren under age 1

Birth certificate amongchildren under age 1

Number ofcountries withdata in UNICEF
global database

Percentage
of population
represented

Number ofcountries withdata in UNICEF
global database

Percentage
of population
represented

Number ofcountries withdata in UNICEF
global database

Percentage
of population
represented

Number ofcountries withdata in UNICEF
global database

Percentage
of population
represented

Eastern andSouthern Africa

22 of 2599%

21 of 2592%

21 of 2595%

20 of 25

88%

West andCentral Africa

24 of 24100%

23 of 24100%

22 of 24100%

22 of 24100%

Middle Eastand North Africa

15 of 1992%

9 of 1966%

13 of 1970%

9 of 19

66%

South Asia

8 of 8100%

8 of 8100%

7 of 899%

7 of 899%

East Asiaand the Pacific

22 of 33

41%

21 of 3341%

15 of 33

25%

14 of 33

25%

Latin America
and the Caribbean

28 of 37100%

18 of 37

43%

26 of 3796%

18 of 37

43%

Eastern Europe
and Central Asia

20 of 2197%

15 of 2171%

19 of 2175%

15 of 2171%

Western Europe

33 of 33100%

33 of 33100%

33 of 33100%

33 of 33

100%

North America

2 of 2100%

2 of 2100%

2 of 2100%

2 of 2100%

174 of 202

86%

150 of 202

77%

158 of 202

79%

140 of 202

73%

UNICEF
RegionWorld

Note: Figures in this table represent every country or area with data in the UNICEF global database, even if the data fall outside the year range used for calculation of current global and regional figures.

Technical annex

39Regional classifications
Eastern and Southern Africa
Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South
Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania,
Zambia, Zimbabwe

West and Central Africa
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao
Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Middle East and North Africa
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, State of Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United
Arab Emirates, Yemen

South Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka

East Asia and the Pacific
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan,
Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, MarshallIslands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mongolia, Myanmar,
Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,
Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand,

Latin America and the Caribbean
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados,
Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, British Virgin Islands,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,
Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turksand Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Montenegro,
North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, RussianFederation, Serbia, Tajikistan, North Macedonia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Western Europe
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San
Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

North America
Canada, United States of America

Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

Photograpy credits

40

Cover page: © UNICEF/UNI135428/Mawa

Page 24: © UNICEF/UN0155615/Dubourthoumieu

Page 4: © UNICEF/UNI213089/Prinsloo

Page 28: © UNICEF/UN016982/Dejongh

Page 7: © UNICEF/UN0339969/Montic

Page 31: © UNICEF/UN055280/Lister

Page 9: © UNICEF/UNI218101/Htet

Page 32: © UNICEF/UNI159404/Pirozzi

Page 10: © UNICEF/UN0233102/Htet

Page 34: © UNICEF/UN0269566/Fontes AFP-Services

Page 13: © UNICEF/UN062341/Zammit

Pages 42-43: © UNICEF/UN031263/Ayene

Pages 14-15: © UNICEF/UNI211851/Schermbrucker

Back cover: © UNICEF/UN0270558/van Oorsouw

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

Endnotes
1.

See: Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, ‘Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’,
A/RES/70/1, 25 September 2015, <http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E>.

2.

“Civil registration is defined as the continuous, permanent, compulsory and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital
events pertaining to the population, as provided through decree or regulation in accordance with the legal requirements in each country.”
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System’, Statistical
papers, Series M No. 19, Revision 3, Statistics Division, United Nations, New York, 2014, p. 65, chapter II, section A, paragraph 279.

3.

UN Legal Identity Expert Group, ‘Communications & Advocacy Strategy, The United Nations Legal Identity Agenda supported by the UN
Legal Identity Expert Group’, New York, 2019 (unpublished draft).

4.

United Nations Children’s Fund, A Passport to Protection, UNICEF, New York, 2013.

5.

Ibid.

6.

Apland, Kara, et al., Birth Registration and Children’s Rights: A complex story, Plan International, Surrey, United Kingdom, 2014.

7.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System’.

8.

United Nations, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations, Paris, 10 December 1948.

9.

United Nations, The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, United Nations, New York, 20 November 1959.

10. United Nations, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, United Nations, New York, 16 December 1966.
11. United Nations, Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, New York, 20 November 1989.
12. United Nations, International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, United

Nations, New York, 18 December 1990.
13. Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, ‘A World Fit for Children’, A/RES/S-27/2, United Nations, New York, 10 May 2002.
14. United Nations, Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, New York, September 2004.
15. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 7 (2005): Implementing child rights in early childhood, CRC/C/

GC/7/Rev.1, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, 20 September 2006, pp. 11-12.
16. United Nations, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol, A/RES/61/106, United Nations, New York, 13

December 2006.
17. United Nations Economic and Social Council, Report of the Committee on Statistics on its second session, E/ESCAP/67/12, Economic andSocial Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 22 February 2011.
18. United Nations Economic and Social Council, Report of the Committee on Statistics on its third session, E/ESCAP/69/13, Economic andSocial Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 29 January 2013.
19. United Nations Economic and Social Council, Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies

of Central Asia on its seventh session, E/ESCAP/69/15, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, 7 March 2013.
20. United Nations Economic and Social Council, Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade, 2015-2024, E/ESCAP/

RES/71/14, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2 June 2015.
21. For more information on ‘Get Every One in the Picture’, see: <http://www.getinthepicture.org/>.
22. Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, ‘Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
23. Global Compact for Migration, Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, <https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/

files/180713_agreed_outcome_global_compact_for_migration.pdf>.
24. United Nations Children’s Fund, Review of Administrative Data Sources on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, UNICEF, New York

(forthcoming).
25. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, ‘Sahrawi Refugees in Tindouf, Algeria: Total in-camp population’, Official report, UNHCR,

March 2018.
26. United Nations Children’s Fund, Advantage or Paradox? The challenge for children and young people of growing up urban, UNICEF, New

York, 2018.
27. Ibid.

Endnotes41

42

Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track?

43

Birth registration at a glance:

Key Facts• Globally, the births of 166 million children• Progress has been achieved primarily in the• South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are home

• Without the progress of the last two decades,• Possession of a birth certificate is less

• The world is not on track to reach SDG target

under age 5 (about 1 in 4) have never beenrecorded.

to 87 per cent of all unregistered children
under age 5 worldwide.

common than registration: 237 million
children under age 5 lack official proof ofregistration in the form of a birth certificate.

• Of all children under age 1 worldwide,

roughly 3 in 10 (about 40 million) have not
had their births registered.

• Around 4 in 10 infants globally (about 56
million) lack a birth certificate.

• Today, about 3 in 4 children under age 5 arelast 10 years and has reached the poorest
children in most regions.

the number of unregistered children today
would have reached 266 million.

16.9 by 2030. 1 in 3 countries (accounting
for about one third of the global populationof children under 5) will need to speed up
progress in order to achieve universal birth
registration by 2030.

• A rapidly growing child population, coupledwith slow rates of change, means that,unless progress is accelerated, the total
number of unregistered children in subSaharan Africa will continue to increase andwill exceed 100 million by 2030.

registered compared to 6 in 10 around 2000.

UNICEF
Data and Analytics Section
Division of Data, Analytics, Planningand Monitoring

3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USA
Email: data@unicef.org
Website: data.unicef.org