Grigol Vashadze:  “Our child mortality rate is nine which is twice as much as compared to Europe.”

Verdict:  FactCheck concludes that Grigol Vashadze’s statement is TRUE.

Resume:  According to 2020 data, the child mortality rate among children under the age of five years is 9.3 promile[1]. This is figure is nearly twice as high as compared to the average indicator (4.7) in Europe [2]. It is also higher as compared to Central Asia’s figure (8). 

According to sustainable development goals, Georgia should reduce the mortality rate of children under the age of five years (for 1,000 live births) to 6. In the last five-year period of 2016-2021, the child mortality rate decreased only by 0.9 of a point in total.

Analysis

Grigol Vashadze, MP of the Parliament of Georgia, stated on air on TV Formula:  “Our child mortality rate per 1,000 is nine which is twice as much as compared to Europe.”

The reduction of child mortality is one of the UN’s sustainable development goals. According to sustainable goal indicators defined in 2015, Georgia should reduce the mortality rate of children under the age of five years (per 1,000 live births) to 6 by 2030. According to 2020 data, the child mortality rate among children under the age of five years is 9.3 promile. In 2015, the mortality rate for children under the age of five years was 10.2 which increased to 11.2 in 2016-2017 and dropped to 9.3 in 2020. In the last five-year period of 2016-2021, the child mortality rate decreased only by 0.9 of a point in total. It would be hard to achieve the sustainable development goal indicator with this pace. 

Of additional note is that the infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) is 7.93 promile. This figure remains unchanged as compared to the previous year and is only 0.7 of a point lower as compared to the figure for 2015. 

Graph 1:  Infant and Under-Five Child Mortality Rate in Georgia, Per 1,000 Live Births

Source:  National Statistics Office of Georgia

According to the data of the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, the mortality rate for children under the age of five years in Europe’s region (SDG regions) is 4.7 promile on average which is almost twice as less as compared to that of Georgia’s. 

In the Europe and Central Asia region (UNICEF regions) which also includes Georgia, the mortality rate for children under the age of five years is 8 promile. Georgia’s mortality rate for children under the age of five years is also higher as compared to the average figure for the Europe and Central Asia region. 

[1] Per 1,000 – in this case, the number of stillborn children per each 1,000 live births.

[2] The 2000-2013 data is an estimation and is based on registered numbers from 2014.