Assessing Impacts of Indicators of Child Wealth Index in Africa: A Study of Four Regions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Recently, the well-being of children in developing countries has attracted much research attention. However, literature is sparse on the effects of family well-being on the child. This study assesses indicators of the Child Wealth Index in Africa, in four out of five regions of the continent of Africa, based on countries with the highest and lowest Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The regions include Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa. Data were obtained from the latest Demographic and Health Survey of each country, where each respondent family was categorised into either “poor,” “middle” or “rich.” Multinomial logistic regression was utilised to study the effects of the indicators used in this study, on child well-being. Results show that the majority of countries have more children in the poor category, especially in rural areas. Furthermore, there are negative correlations between Child Wealth Index and residence, and positive correlations between Child Wealth Index and housing conditions with access to electricity. Indicators of the Child Wealth Index include highest education, place of residence, housing conditions, toilet facility, and access to electricity and appliances. It is inferred that many countries in Africa have a low Wealth Index despite their high GDP. Therefore, African governments need to improve the living standards of their people.