Data resource profile: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Abstract

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) plays a leading role in the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data to inform sound policies, legislation and programmes for promoting children's rights and well-being, and for global monitoring of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. UNICEF maintains a set of global databases representing nearly 200 countries and covering the areas of child mortality, child health, maternal health, nutrition, immunization, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, education and child protection. These databases consist of internationally comparable and statistically sound data, and are updated annually through a process that draws on a wealth of data provided by UNICEF's wide network of >150 field offices. The databases are composed primarily of estimates from household surveys, with data from censuses, administrative records, vital registration systems and statistical models contributing to some key indicators as well. The data are assessed for quality based on a set of objective criteria to ensure that only the most reliable nationally representative information is included. For most indicators, data are available at the global, regional and national levels, plus sub-national disaggregation by sex, urban/rural residence and household wealth. The global databases are featured in UNICEF's flagship publications, inter-agency reports, including the Secretary General's Millennium Development Goals Report and Countdown to 2015, sector-specific reports and statistical country profiles. They are also publicly available on www.childinfo.org, together with trend data and equity analyses.

Figure 1

Women who live in urban areas are more likely than women in rural areas to be assisted during delivery by a skilled birth attendant. Source: UNICEF global databases 2011, from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and other nationally representative sources. Note: Global estimates are based on a subset of 96 countries, covering 80% of births in the world. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50% of regional births

Figure 2

In India, a greater reduction in underweight prevalence occurred in the richest 20% of households than in the poorest 20%. Source: National Family Health Surveys, 1992–1993, 1998–1999 and 2005–2006. Note: Prevalence estimates are calculated according to the National Center for Health Statistics reference population, as there were insufficient data to calculate trend estimates by household wealth according to World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Estimates are age-adjusted to represent children 0–59 months in each survey