The distribution of infant mortality around the world and explain why and illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of the index to measure the gap

in infant mortality between countries.

The distribution of infant mortality varies significantly around the world, with some countries experiencing high rates while others have low rates. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global infant mortality rate in 2019 was 28 deaths per 1,000 live births. However, this rate varies widely by region, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest rate of 55 deaths per 1,000 live births, and Europe having the lowest rate of 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The reasons for these differences in infant mortality rates are complex and multifactorial. Factors such as access to healthcare, quality of healthcare, maternal health, nutrition, sanitation, and poverty all play a role. Countries with high rates of infant mortality often have poor healthcare infrastructure and limited resources to address the underlying social determinants of health.

Measuring the gap in infant mortality between countries is important for understanding global health inequalities and identifying areas that need improvement. The infant mortality rate is commonly used as an index to measure this gap. While this index has advantages, such as providing a simple and easy-to-understand measure of health disparities, it also has some disadvantages.

One disadvantage is that the infant mortality rate may not accurately reflect the overall health of a population. For example, a country may have a low infant mortality rate but still have high rates of maternal mortality or other health problems. Additionally, the infant mortality rate may be affected by differences in how deaths are classified and reported between countries.

Another disadvantage is that the infant mortality rate may not capture the full extent of inequalities within a country. For example, some subgroups within a population may have higher infant mortality rates than others. Therefore, it is important to supplement the infant mortality rate with other measures of health disparities, such as the Gini coefficient or other measures of inequality.

In conclusion, while the distribution of infant mortality around the world is complex and multifactorial, measuring the gap between countries is important for understanding global health inequalities. The infant mortality rate is commonly used as an index to measure this gap, but it has some limitations. Therefore, it is important to use a range of measures to fully capture the extent of health disparities within and between countries.