Health at a Glance: Latin America and the Caribbean 2020
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Health at a Glance: Latin America and the Caribbean 2020 presents key indicators on health and health systems in 33 Latin America and the Caribbean countries. This first Health at a Glance publication to cover the Latin America and the Caribbean region was prepared jointly by OECD and the World Bank. Analysis is based on the latest comparable data across almost 100 indicators including equity, health status, determinants of health, health care resources and utilisation, health expenditure and financing, and quality of care. The editorial discusses the main challenges for the region brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as managing the outbreak as well as mobilising adequate resources and using them efficiently to ensure an effective response to the epidemic. An initial chapter summarises the comparative performance of countries before the crisis, followed by a special chapter about addressing wasteful health spending that is either ineffective or does not lead to improvement in health outcomes so that to direct saved resources where they are urgently needed.
Also available in: Spanish
Under age 5 mortality
The under age 5 mortality rate is an indicator of child health as well as the overall development and well-being of a population. In 2017, 5.4 million children died worldwide before their fifth birthday and 3.5% of these deaths (188 000) occurred in the LAC region (UNICEF et al., 2018[5]). As part of their Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the United Nations has set a target of reducing under age 5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1 000 live births by 2030. The main causes of death among children under five include preterm birth complications (18%), pneumonia (12%), intrapartum-related complications (8%) and sepsis (7%). Undernutrition, suboptimal breastfeeding and zinc deficiency are overlapping risk factors of childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia – the leading infectious causes of childhood morbidity and mortality (PAHO, 2017[6]). In this context, the UN General Assembly has also proclaimed the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016‑25).
Also available in: Spanish
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