Over 40 per cent of births are not registered in more than half of sub-Saharan African countries and more than half of all countries lack comparable data on children’s basic reading proficiency, according to the World Bank.
This was revealed in the 2024 Key Development Challenges in Nine Charts report by the World Bank.
The fulfilment of the right to be registered at birth is crucial for realising many other rights of an individual. Socio-economic rights, such as the right to health and education, are at particular risk without birth registration, jeopardising the protection of children.
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) prominently highlighted birth registration on the global development agenda.
Birth registration ensures children are immediately recognised under the law, providing a foundation for protection from harm and exploitation, as well as access to essential services like vaccines, healthcare, and education.Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive-director
Global progress has largely been driven by countries prioritising timely registration, leveraging health, social protection and education systems, expanding services to more locations, digitalising the process and eliminating fees.
Within sub-Saharan Africa, progress and levels vary widely. Southern Africa leads with 88 per cent, while Western Africa has made the most significant gains over 15 years, reaching 63 per cent. Eastern Africa and Middle Africa trail behind, both at 41 per cent.
Nevertheless, with gradual progress and a rapidly increasing child population, sub-Saharan Africa is set to accommodate the majority of the world's children in the upcoming decades. If current conditions persist, the region could have over 100 million unregistered children after 2030.
Families frequently encounter significant obstacles to birth registration, such as lengthy travel to the closest registration centre, insufficient information on the registration process and costly fees for registering a birth or acquiring a birth certificate. Additionally, traditional customs and practices might not support or prioritise formal birth registration procedures.
Without quality data, countries cannot fully understand the root causes of systemic childhood deprivation or address these issues. As a result, children could remain stuck in the cycle of poverty for generations to come.
To bridge these gaps, World Bank is scaling up financial and technical support to strengthen countries’ data and statistical systems and enabling the production of a minimum data package for children, adolescents, and youth. The information will aid in shaping new policies, improving service delivery and enhancing development efforts to ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
UNICEF’s MyName campaign seeks to initiate a continent-wide movement for universal birth registration in Africa by leveraging the influence of sports. This effort involves collaborating with prominent football players from the continent to demonstrate how registration and identity have played a crucial role in their success.