Socio-demographic Determinants of Under-five Mortality Differentials in Northeast and Southwest Nigeria

Under-five mortality is one of the major health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, 1 out of 6 children dies before his or her fifth birthday. There are regional differentials in under-five mortality in the country with Northeast having the highest rate while Southwest has the lowest rate. Little effort has been made to examine the socio-demographic factors that contribute to these differentials. This study shows that 1 in every 10 women in Southwest has higher education while only 1% of women in Northeast have higher education. In terms of wealth index, women in Southwest are better off. This is so because 47% of women in Northeast are found in the poorest category while only 5% of women in Southwest belong to this group. The place of residence shows that 75% of the women from Northeast live in the rural area while 1 in every 2 women in Southwest lives in urban area. The study also shows that the factors responsible for the under-five mortality differentials in Northeast and Southwest include mother’s education, place of residence, antenatal care, wealth index and preceding birth interval.