Birth Registration & Child Protection: Global Progress
- After rising earlier in the century, global birth registration rates have slowed in the last 10 years, posing risks to child protection.
- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that about 75% of children under 5 are registered worldwide, up from 60% in 2000.
- Mishra cited rapid population growth, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, outpacing registration systems.
Global birth registration rates are stagnating, a critical issue threatening child protection across the globe. This article examines the concerning slowdown in the past decade and the potential risks it poses to vulnerable children. UNICEF and experts are urging immediate action, advocating for new technologies, stronger political will, and increased awareness to combat this trend. We explore the challenges faced in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific Islands, highlighting the impact of inadequate birth registration on children’s fundamental rights. Learn how News Directory 3 is shedding light on the importance of birth registration. Discover what’s next …
Birth Registration Progress Stalls, Child Protection at Risk
Updated June 17, 2025
After rising earlier in the century, global birth registration rates have slowed in the last 10 years, posing risks to child protection. While birth registration is often taken for granted,it has significant,lifelong consequences for a child’s health and well-being. New technologies, stronger political commitment, and greater parental awareness are critical to reversing this trend.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that about 75% of children under 5 are registered worldwide, up from 60% in 2000. However, Bhaskar Mishra, a child protection specialist at UNICEF headquarters in new York, saeid the recent slowdown stems from persistent issues.
Mishra cited rapid population growth, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, outpacing registration systems. He added that weak infrastructure, limited funding, and low political prioritization have also contributed to the stagnation, and families frequently enough face hurdles such as high fees, complex procedures, and limited access.
East Africa, with a 41% birth registration rate, and the Pacific Islands, at 26%, face some of these obstacles. Country-level data varies,with Tanzania at 29%,Papua New Guinea at 13%,and Somalia and Ethiopia at 3%.
In Ethiopia, birth registration outside the capital, Addis Ababa, is only 3%, compared to the 24% average in addis Ababa. Dr. Tariku Nigatu, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Ethiopia’s University of Gondar, said improvements could be driven by integrating registration with the health system, ensuring resources to support interventions, and building infrastructure for real-time reporting.
UNICEF has assisted Ethiopia by deploying mobile registration kits to healthcare workers in remote communities, including those experiencing instability. Mishra said this ensures that children born during emergencies or displacement are not excluded from legal identity and protection. A humanitarian crisis and insecurity are affecting people’s lives in the northern Tigray region following a civil war from 2020-2022.
Nigatu emphasized that a lack of understanding and misconceptions about birth registration must be addressed. He said some communities believe that counting a newborn as “a person” early on could bring bad luck, and they do not consider the child worthy of counting before it survives the neonatal period. This is partly due to Ethiopia’s high neonatal mortality rate of 30 per 1,000 live births, with about half occurring within 24 hours after birth, he explained.
Messaging also needs to reinforce the lifelong importance of birth registration to a child. Children without an official existence face greater challenges in escaping poverty, resisting exploitation and trafficking, and accessing legal protection, voting rights, formal employment, and property ownership.
Mishra said birth registration is only the first step to their protection and well-being, and it only works when backed by strong systems and services, including linking registration to immunizations, hospital births, and school enrollment.
In a wider context, accurate birth and population data are essential for governments to plan public services and national development and assess progress on the Enduring Development Goals.
What’s next
To ensure child protection and well-being, birth registration must be linked to robust systems and services, including immunizations, hospital births, and school enrollment.