Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/196786 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12288
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We document a novel fact about neonatal death, or death in the first month of life. Globally, neonatal mortality is disproportionately concentrated in India. We identify a large effect of birth order on neonatal mortality that is unique to India: later-born siblings have a steep survival advantage relative to the birth order gradient in other developing countries. We show that India's high prevalence of maternal undernutrition and its correlation with age and childbearing can explain this pattern. We find that Indian mothers exit the underweight body mass range at an internationally comparatively high rate as they progress through childbearing careers.
Subjects: 
neonatal mortality
infant mortality
birth order
maternal nutrition
India
JEL: 
O15
I15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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