Estimating completeness of birth registration in South Africa, 1996 - 2011.

Nadine Nannan,Robert Dorrington,Debbie Bradshaw

doi:10.2471/blt.18.222620

Abstract

ObjectiveTo estimate the completeness of live birth registration through South Africa’s civil registration and vital statistics system between 1996 and 2011.MethodsThe number of births registered by the civil registration and vital statistics system was compared with independent estimates of the true number of births derived using: (i) the reverse survival method applied to 2011 census data; (ii) the application of estimated age-specific fertility rates to population estimates from censuses and surveys; and (iii) data from the public-sector district health information system.FindingsIn 1996, an estimated 25% of births were registered within the calendar year of birth and 33% were registered before the end of the subsequent calendar year. By 2008, 76% of registrations occurred within the calendar year of birth, 84% occurred by the end of the following year and 90% occurred before the child’s fifth birthday. These improvements were seen in all provinces and differences in completeness between provinces narrowed markedly. Improvements in the completeness of registration coincided with government efforts to strengthen the system, new legislation on vital registration and the introduction of child support grants, which required birth certificates. Interprovincial migration of children influenced the completeness of registration in affected provinces. There was some terminological confusion among government agencies on defining the timeliness of registration and the year of birth.ConclusionThe completeness of birth registration in South Africa increased rapidly between 1996 and 2004. To allow international comparison, the method for measuring the completeness of birth registration needs to be standardized.

Highlights

Actions taken globally to achieve the millennium development goals highlighted the failure of civil registration and vital statistics systems in some low- and middle-income countries to record vital events accurately and to provide data essential for monitoring key child health indicators
Birth registration, which is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,[3] is fundamental to the legal recognition of human beings and, to their ability to secure a name and nationality
Between and 2005, there was a substantial improvement in the promptness of birth registration, which continued to 2008, after which it remained stable

Summary

Introduction

Actions taken globally to achieve the millennium development goals highlighted the failure of civil registration and vital statistics systems in some low- and middle-income countries to record vital events accurately and to provide data essential for monitoring key child health indicators. The sustainable development goals (SDGs) include the target of achieving universal birth registration by 2030 This target stems from the overarching objective of improving data systems for monitoring health-related indicators and reflects a desire to improve equity among population groups.[2]. Birth registration, which is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,[3] is fundamental to the legal recognition of human beings and, to their ability to secure a name and nationality. It is defined as the continuous, permanent and universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of births.[4]

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Conclusion