EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT: A STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT - UNICEF DATA

[Pages:8]EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT: A STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT

Building Better Brains and Sustainable Outcomes for Children

? UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0231/Estey

Over 200 million children under 5 years of age in low- and middle-income countries ? and increasing numbers in OECD countries and emerging economies ? will face inequalities and fail to reach their full developmental potential because they grow up with a broad range of risk factors. These include, most notably, poverty; poor health, including malnutrition and infection with HIV; high levels of family and environmental stress and exposure to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation; and inadequate care and learning opportunities.1 These factors also include risks that result from emergencies related to conflict, climate change and global demographic shifts associated with migration and urbanization.

Early childhood development (ECD) is one of the most costeffective investments a country can make to build human

capital and promote sustainable development. Economic analyses from both the developed and developing world point to the same conclusion: Investing in the early years yields some of the highest rates of return to families, societies and countries. The case for investment can be made not only with respect to returns but also to the cost of inaction.2

Science has demonstrated that early childhood interventions are important because they help mitigate the impact of adverse early experiences. If not addressed, such experiences can lead to poor health (including obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes), low educational attainment, economic dependency, increased violence and crime, and heightened risk of substance abuse and depression ? all of which add to the costs and burden to society.

1 Walker, S. P., et al., 'Child Development: Risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries', The Lancet, vol. 369, 2007, pp. 145?157; Grantham-McGregor, S., et al., 'Developmental Potential in the First 5 Years for Children in Developing Countries', The Lancet, vol. 369, 2007, pp. 60?70. 2 Britto, P. R., P. L. Engle and C. S. Super, editors, Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and its Impact on Global Policy, Oxford University Press, New York, 2013.

? UNICEF/NYHQ2004-1202/Vitale

SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Protecting young children from violence and abuse is

not only a human rights obligation; it is also the foun-

dation from which children can develop to their fullest

potential and achieve better health, learning and so-

cial development outcomes. Through a combination

of ECD and child protection interventions (including

direct support to families and strengthen-

ing systems to be more responsive

and accountable), young chil-

dren can be protected from violence and given the opportunity to develop and

ROTECTION

grow in a healthy way,

from the very first years

N

of life.

DUCATIO P

ON E

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Adequate nutrition during pregnancy and the first two

years of life is necessary for normal brain development,

laying the foundation for the development of cognitive,

motor and socio-emotional skills throughout childhood

and adulthood. Appropriate breastfeeding practices can

contribute to a child's healthy emotional and cognitive de-

velopment. In contrast, lack of adequate nutrition

(including iodine) and other related con-

sequences such as stunting and low

birthweight can compromise

children's motor and cogni-

tive development. Children

NUHTERAL

with restricted development of these skills during early life are at risk

THITI&ON

for later neuropsy-

chological problems,

poor school achieve-

ment, early school

ST&IMCUALRAETI

drop-out, low-skilled

employment, and

poor care of their

own children, thus

contributing to the in-

tergenerational trans-

mission of poverty.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Investment in good quality early childhood education services prior to entering school improves learning outcomes for children. It also enhances the efficiency of the school system by reducing repetition and drop-out and improving achievement, especially among girls and marginalized groups.

STIMULATION AND CARE

Early stimulation and interaction with

parents and caregivers jumpstart brain

development and promote well-being. Exten-

sive research shows that nurturing, stimulating

interaction between young children and their

EARLY CHILDHOOD

parents and caregivers positively and permanently strengthens the ability to learn ? and may even change brain function for life.

DEVELOPMENT

The brain requires multiple inputs: It requires stimulation and care to spark neural connections across multiple regions of the brain to increase its capacity and function. It requires access to good quality early childhood education programmes that provide children with early cognitive and language skills, build social competency and support emotional development. It requires good health and nutrition at the right time to feed and nourish the architecture of the body, including the brain, during the sensitive periods of development. It requires safety and protection to buffer against stress and allow absorption of nutrients and growth and development of the nervous system - including the brain. All these aspects of the environment must work together to build a better brain.

STIMULATION AND CARE

In almost all countries or areas, more than half of children are engaged in early learning activities by adults in the household, but less than half have access to three or more books in the home

Percentage of children aged 36 to 59 months with whom an adult household member has engaged in four or more activities to promote learning and school readiness in the past three days

Trinidad and Tobago Montenegro Belarus Serbia

Bosnia and Herzegovina Jamaica Georgia

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Kazakhstan

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Uzbekistan Thailand Guyana Kyrgyzstan Albania Belize Somalia Viet Nam

Central African Republic Tajikistan

Afghanistan Suriname Tunisia Chad

Iran (Islamic Republic of) Syrian Arab Republic Nigeria Cameroon Togo

Democratic Republic of the Congo Bangladesh Iraq Myanmar

State of Palestine Lao People's Democratic Republic

Mongolia Lebanon Mauritania Sierra Leone Bhutan C?te d'Ivoire Swaziland Gambia Honduras Mozambique

Ghana Djibouti Morocco Burundi Yemen

Mali Burkina Faso

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Notes: Activities to promote learning and school readiness include: reading books to the child; telling stories to the child; singing songs to the child; taking the child outside the home; playing with the child; and spending time with the child naming, counting or drawing things. Data for the Islamic Republic of Iran differ from the standard definition. Data for Lebanon, Morocco and Myanmar refer to children aged 0 to 59 months. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2012.

Percentage of children aged 0 to 59 months who have three or more children's books at home

Ukraine Belarus Trinidad and Tobago Democratic People's Republic of Korea Montenegro Kyrgyzstan Serbia Georgia Jamaica Bosnia and Herzegovina Guyana The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Kazakhstan Thailand Uzbekistan Belize Iran (Islamic Republic of) Albania Syrian Arab Republic Lebanon Suriname Mongolia Morocco Viet Nam Tunisia Tajikistan Djibouti State of Palestine Honduras Yemen Bhutan Ghana Nigeria

Iraq Lao People's Democratic Republic

C?te d'Ivoire Swaziland Cameroon

Mozambique Afghanistan Sierra Leone

Togo Gambia Central African Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo

Chad Mali

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Note: Data for the Islamic Republic of Iran and Morocco differ from the standard definition. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2012.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Globally, less than 40 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed

Percentage of children worldwide put to the breast within one hour of delivery; exclusively breastfed; receiving solid, semi-solid and soft food; and continuing to breastfeed at specified ages

Birth

Early initiation of breastfeeding (within one hour of birth)

43

Exclusive breastfeeding (0 - 5 months)

38

Introduction to solid, semi-solid or soft foods (6 - 8 months)

55

Continued breastfeeding at 1 year

(12 - 15 months)

75

Continued breastfeeding at 2 years*

(20 - 23 months)

58

0 20 40 60 80 100

* Excludes China. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2008-2012, with the exception of India (2005-2006).

Poorer children are far more likely than their richer counterparts to experience stunted growth

Percentage of children aged 0 to 59 months who are moderately or severely stunted, by wealth quintile

Poorest quintile Fourth quintile

Second quintile Richest quintile

Middle quintile

100

80

60

40

20

0

Sub-Saharan South Asia East Asia

Africa

and Pacific*

Least developed countries

World*

* Excludes China. Notes: Estimates are based on a subset of 55 countries covering 55 per cent of the population of children aged 0 to 59 months worldwide. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage was insufficient to calculate regional estimates for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2007-2011, with the exception of India (2005-2006).

More than 30 million infants worldwide were at risk of iodine deficiency disorders in 2012

Number of newborns unprotected and protected from iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) as assessed through household consumption of adequately iodized salt, in millions

140 Newborns unprotected from IDDs Newborns protected from IDDs

120

100

105 80

60

40

25

20

28

10

9

34

6 0

8

10 3

Eastern and West and

East Asia South Asia

World

Southern Africa Central Africa and Pacific

Notes: Estimates are based on a subset of 57 countries covering 60 per cent of the total population worldwide, applied to total births worldwide. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage was insufficient to calculate regional estimates for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2008-2012.

Low birthweight is highest in South Asia

Percentage of newborns weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth, by region

Sub-Saharan Africa

13

Eastern and Southern Africa

11

West and Central Africa

14

South Asia

28

East Asia and Pacific 6

Latin America and Caribbean

9

Least developed countries

13

World

15

0

20

40

60

80

100

Notes: Estimates are based on a subset of 84 countries covering 65 per cent of the births worldwide. Regional estimates represent data covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population. Data coverage was insufficient to calculate regional estimates for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East and North Africa. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2008-2012, with the exception of India (2005-2006).

SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Violent discipline is widespread

Percentage of children aged 2 to 4 years who experienced any violent discipline (psychological aggression and/or physical punishment) in the past month

Tunisia Ghana State of Palestine Cameroon Yemen

Togo Democratic Republic of the Congo

Central African Republic Jordan

Swaziland Nigeria Morocco

C?te d'Ivoire Egypt Congo

Suriname Vanuatu

Haiti Liberia Gambia Mauritania Lebanon Algeria Jamaica Syrian Arab Republic Trinidad and Tobago Niger Chad Barbados Burkina Faso

Iraq Guyana Republic of Moldova Guinea-Bissau Azerbaijan Viet Nam Sierra Leone Argentina Albania Belize Dominican Republic Serbia The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Tajikistan Saint Lucia Lao People's Democratic Republic Georgia Belarus Armenia Montenegro Djibouti Afghanistan Costa Rica Bosnia and Herzegovina Ukraine Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Panama Mongolia

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Notes: Data for Belarus differ from the standard definition. Data for Kyrgyzstan refer to children aged 3 to 4 years. Data for Panama refer to children aged 1 to 4 years. For Argentina, the sample was national and urban (municipalities with a population of more than 5,000), since the country's rural population is scattered and accounts for less than 10 per cent of the total. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2013.

In the Central African Republic, Chad, C?te d'Ivoire

and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more

than half of children under age 5 were left with

inadequate care in the previous week

Percentage of children aged 0 to 59 months left alone or in the care of

another child under 10 years old in the past week

Central African Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo

C?te d'Ivoire Chad Togo

Afghanistan Nigeria Yemen Mali

Mozambique Sierra Leone

Cameroon Mauritania

Ghana Gambia Syrian Arab Republic Democratic People's Republic of Korea Iran (Islamic Republic of) Swaziland Bhutan Lao People's Democratic Republic State of Palestine Tunisia Thailand Albania Tajikistan Djibouti Guyana Kyrgyzstan Ukraine Viet Nam Morocco Lebanon Mongolia Georgia

Iraq Suriname Montenegro The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Honduras

Belarus Jamaica

Belize Bosnia and Herzegovina

Trinidad and Tobago Serbia

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Note: Data for the Islamic Republic of Iran differ from the standard definition. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2012.

Even the youngest children are exposed to violent acts of discipline

Percentage of children aged 2 to 4 years who experienced any discipline in the past month, by type

Shouted, yelled or screamed at Spanked, hit or slapped with bare hand

Shook Hit/slapped on hand, arm or leg

Called dumb/lazy Hit on the bottom or elsewhere with object

Hit/slapped on face, head or ears Beat with an object/beat as hard as one could

Violent methods Non-violent methods

Explained why behaviour was wrong Took away privileges

Gave something else to do

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Note: These are weighted averages based on comparable data for 54 countries or areas. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS and DHS, 2005-2013.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Fewer than 50 per cent of children are attending early childhood education programmes in a majority of countries or areas

Percentage of children aged 36 to 59 months who attend some form of early childhood education programme 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

0

Democratic People's Republic of Korea Belarus Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago Viet Nam Ghana Ukraine Lebanon Thailand Mongolia Guyana Tunisia Serbia Georgia Nigeria Albania Morocco

Kazakhstan Suriname Swaziland Belize Nepal Cameroon

Montenegro Togo

Sao Tome and Principe Lao People's Democratic Republic

Myanmar The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Senegal Sudan

Iran (Islamic Republic of) Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan Honduras Gambia Botswana

State of Palestine Bangladesh Sierra Leone Mauritania Djibouti

Bosnia and Herzegovina Tajikistan Mali

Guinea-Bissau Bhutan

Syrian Arab Republic South Sudan

Central African Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo

Burundi Chad

C?te d'Ivoire Iraq

Yemen Somalia Burkina Faso Afghanistan

Note: Data for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal and Senegal differ from the standard definition. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2012.

Across all countries, the poorest children are disadvantaged when it comes to attendance in early childhood education programmes

Percentage of children aged 36 to 59 months who attend some form of early childhood education programme, by wealth quintile

100

90

80

70

Children in the richest quintile

60

50 Children in the richest

40

quintile are more likely to be attending some

form of ECE 30

Children in the poorest quintile are more likely to be attending some

form of ECE

20

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Children in the poorest quintile

Note: Each dot represents a country. Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative surveys, 2005-2012.

In all 28 countries or areas with available data, less than half of children are developmentally on track in literacy-numeracy

Percentage of children aged 36 to 59 months who are developmentally on track in the literacy-numeracy domain

Belarus Belize The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Nigeria Tunisia Serbia Kazakhstan Ghana Bosnia and Herzegovina Bhutan Viet Nam Suriname Lao People's Democratic Republic Mauritania State of Palestine Cameroon

Iraq Swaziland Mongolia Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Gambia Democratic Republic of the Congo

Togo Honduras Sierra Leone Central African Republic

Mali Chad

0

10

20

30

40

50

Source: UNICEF global databases, 2014, based on MICS and DHS, 2009-2012.

? UNICEF/NYHQ2006-0162/Kamber

For information on the data contained in this brochure: UNICEF Data and Analytics Section Division of Data, Research and Policy 3 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: +1 212 326 7000 Email: data@ data. For information on programmatic work on early childhood development: UNICEF Early Childhood Development Section Programme Division 3 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: +1 212 326 7000 Email: championsforecd@ earlychildhood/

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