YANGON REGION

A Snapshot of Child Wellbeing

BASIC INFORMATION

Area: 10,171.30 sq. km

Total population: 5,961,955

Rural: 1,958,267 Urban: 4,003,688 0-14 years: 1,619,107

Languages: Myanmar, English

Administrative divisions: 4 Districts, 45 Townships, 742 Wards,

2,170 Villages

Capital: Yangon City

Main economic activities: Industry, Trade, Agriculture

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT

Located in southern Myanmar, Yangon Region is bordered by

Ayeyarwaddy Region to the west and by Bago Region to the north
and east. It is flanked by the Gulf of Martaban (Andaman Sea) to
the south.

Home to the largest city and former capital of Myanmar (Yangon

City), Yangon Region is primarily urban and one of the most devel-
oped of all states and regions in the country. It is Myanmar’s fore-
most economic and trading hub.

On most social development indicators, Yangon Region fares much

better than the national average. It has one of the lowest poverty
rates among all states and regions (16 per cent) and the highest
proportion of births in a health facility as well as births registered.
The water and sanitation situation is also more favorable than most
other parts of the country.

CHILD WELLBEING
Children have basic needs, such as adequate nutrition Underweight 20
and healthcare, that if unmet could result in long-term
consequences, including limitations on their physical and
cognitive development and consequently on opportunities Not immunized (DPT3) 2
and wellbeing in adulthood.
Not using improved water
Their experience of poverty is multidimensional and depri- 8
source
vation in any of the key dimensions (i.e. nutrition, health,
education, care and protection, water, sanitation and Not using improved
income) compromises their wellbeing. 6
sanitation
A sizeable proportion of children in Yangon Region contin-
Not completing primary
ue to have some of their most basic needs unmet. The 30
school on time
chart depicts the extent of deprivation in the Region using
a selected indicator for each key dimension. For example,
deprivation in nutrition is illustrated by 20 per cent of Birth not registered 5
children in the Region being underweight.
How children in Yangon Region (compared to the average Living below poverty line 16
Myanmar child) in each of the key dimensions of wellbe-
ing is examined more closely on the following pages. A
table on the last page presents data on a slightly wider 0 10 20 30 40 %
range of child wellbeing indicators. Sources: MICS 2009-2010; IHLCA 2009-2010

1
NUTRITION 80 %
Good nutrition is a cornerstone for survival, health and development. Well- Yangon National Average
nourished children perform better in school, grow into healthy adults and in turn
give their children a better start in life. 60
Given the optimum start in life, all children have the potential to develop within
the same range of height and weight. This means that differences in children's
growth to age five are more dependent on nutrition, feeding practices, environ- 40 35
ment and health care than on genetics or ethnicity. 24
20 23
Children in Yangon Region are about as likely as the average Myanmar child to 20
be underweight or wasted but are less likely to be stunted (or have low height- 9 8
for-age). However, still almost a quarter of children (24 per cent) are stunted.
Stunting is a consequence of chronic malnutrition and can have irreversible
0
damage on brain development. If not addressed in the first two years of life, it
Underweight Stunting Wasting
diminishes the ability of children to learn and earn throughout their lives.
Source: MICS 2009-2010

Yangon National Average HEALTH

Significant reductions in maternal and child mortality can be achieved
100% 98 98
through a few simple health interventions, including giving birth in a health
76 facility (or at least in the presence of a skilled birth attendant), timely im-
80 69 munization against some of the main childhood illnesses, and adequate
66
management of diarrhoea including oral rehydration therapy (ORT) etc.
60
Children in Yangon Region are more likely than children in any other state
40
36 or region of Myanmar to be born in a health facility (almost 70 per cent
are), where life-saving obstetric care would be available for mother and
child in case of complications during birth. This also reflects the generally
20
higher level and quality of ante-natal care received by pregnant women in
the Region. Immunization rates appear high and comparable to the nation-
0
al average. The use of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), to prevent life-
Births in Immunization ORT threatening dehydration associated with diarrhoea among children, is em-
health facility (DPT3) Use Rate
ployed in about 76 per cent of cases in the Region.
Source: MICS 2009-2010

HIV 100 % Yangon

87
Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a key component of the 82
global response to HIV for young children. In high-income countries, mother-to- 80 National
child transmission of HIV has been virtually eliminated. Steady expansion of HIV Average
testing, particularly of pregnant women, and provision of the most effective an- 60
47
51
tiretroviral treatment (ART) offers hope that mother-to-child transmission can be
virtually eliminated in low- and middle-income countries as well. 40

The Myanmar National Strategic Plan on AIDS 2011-2015 includes prevention 20 10

of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) as a priority and various related indica- 3
tors are regularly monitored. Among those reached by the public health system, 0
fewer than half (47 per cent) of pregnant women in Yangon Region are likely to HIV-testing ART for HIV-testing
be tested for HIV and receive the test result. And while a vast majority (87 per for PMTCT for
cent) of women identified as HIV-positive in the Region are likely to receive ART pregnant infants
for PMTCT, only 3 per cent of infants born to women identified as HIV-positive
women
are tested for HIV within the prescribed 2 months after birth.
Source: National AIDS Programme, 2012

100% Yangon
WATER
93
82
80 National Average According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), about 7 per cent
of households in Yangon Region are not using improved water sources.
60
Lack of access to safe drinking water is a major contributor to diarrhoea
40 prevalence, with 80 per cent of child deaths due to diarrheal disease glob-
ally being attributed to poor drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor
20
hygiene. Prevalence of diarrhoea among children aged 0-59 months in
Yangon Region has increased from about 4 per cent in 2003 to almost 7
7 7
per cent in 2009-2010, mirroring the increase in diarrhoea prevalence in
0
the country as a whole during the same period.
Access to improved Diarrhoea prevalence
water sources among children
among households

Source: MICS 2009-2010

2
SANITATION
Yangon National Average
100% 94
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), about 6 per 85
cent of households in Yangon Region are not using improved sanitation 80
and 0.3 per cent are practicing open defecation.
60
Improved sanitation can reduce diarrheal disease by more than a third,
and can significantly lessen the adverse health impacts of other disor-
ders responsible for death and disease among millions of children. 40
Investment in hygiene promotion, sanitation and water services is also
among the most cost-effective ways of reducing child mortality. 20
7
0.3
0
Access to improved Open defecation
sanitation
Source: MICS 2009-2010

100 % Yangon 93 EDUCATION

88
Myanmar generally lags behind other countries in the region on education
80 National 70 indicators due to decades of underinvestment in the education sector.
Average Pre-school attendance among children aged 3-5 years is quite low with
60 54 less than a quarter of all children attending pre-school in the country as a
whole. Yangon Region fares better on this indicator, with about a third (34
per cent) of children aged 3-5 attending pre-school. Adequate intellectual
40 34
and social stimulation in early childhood, as provided in pre-school, is
23 important for a child developing to his or her full potential. And children
20 who attend pre-school tend to do much better in primary school.
The primary school enrollment rate in Yangon Region is higher than the
0 national average, as is the primary school completion rate. However, al-
Pre-school Primary school Primary school most a third (30 per cent) of primary school children in the Region are still
attendance enrolment completion not completing their schooling on time.

Sources: MICS 2009-2010; IHLCA 2009-2010

CARE AND PROTECTION 100% 95

Yangon National Average
Quality data on the most salient child protection issues in Myanmar,
such as children living in out-of-home residential care, children living 80 72
and working on the street and children in hazardous forms of work, is
currently unavailable. It is expected that with the population census
60
and Demographic Health Survey in 2014-2015, relevant data will be
collected and analyzed.
40
Currently available indicators include proportion of births registered
and proportion of children not living with a biological parent. Yangon
20
Region fares as the best of all states and regions on birth registra- 5
5
tion, however 5 per cent of births are still not registered. Unregis-
tered children are not only deprived of their basic right to a legal 0
identity but are also more vulnerable to exploitation. With regard to Births registered Children not living with
children not living with a biological parent, the situation in Yangon a biological parent
Region is similar to the national average (5 per cent).
Source: MICS 2009-2010

80 %
INCOME
Poverty incidence
While income alone is not sufficient to ensure a child’s wellbeing, it often
enables families to have better access to quality education, health care,
60
water and sanitation.

40 Income poverty data are not as yet available in Myanmar.

26
However, the Integrated Household Living Conditions Assessment (IHLCA)
20 16 allowed estimation of monetary poverty, as measured by consumption
expenditure on food and non-food items. According to this measure, about
16 per cent of the population was estimated to be living below the poverty
0 line in Yangon Region. This is lower than the poverty estimate of 26 per
Yangon National Average cent for the country as a whole.

Source: IHLCA 2009-2010

3
TABLE OF INDICATORS FOR YANGON REGION
N ational Highest Lowest
IN DIC ATOR Yangon
Average Incidence Incidence
Un derweight : % of children aged 0-59 months who measured below -2 SD 37.4 13.0
20.1 22.6
international reference weight for age Rakhine Kachin
St u n t in g: % of children aged 0-59 months who measured below -2 SD 58.0 24
24 35.1
N UTRITION

international reference height for age Chin Yangon

Was t in g: % of children aged 0-59 months who measured below -2 SD 10.8 2.3
9.2 7.9
international reference weight for height Rakhine Kayah
E xc lu s ively breas t f ed: % of children aged 0-5 months who are 47 1.3
18.6 23.6
exclusively breastfed Mon Rakhine
Vit amin A s u pplemen t at ion : % of children 5-59 months who never 13.1 6.4
12.1 10.6
received vitamin A Chin Bago West
An t e-n at al c are vis it s : % of pregnant women receiving ANC one or more 99.6 75.6
98.8 93.1
times during pregnancy Mon Chin
An t e-n at al c are qu alit y : % of pregnant women who had urine specimen 91.2 16.2
C HILD HEALTH

84.9 56.9
M ATERN AL &

taken Mon Chin

Birt hs in healt h f ac ilit y : % of ever married women aged 15-49 who 68.9 5.6
68.9 36.2
delivered in health facility Yangon Chin
Immu n izat ion : % of children aged 12-23 months who received DPT3 100.0 91.0
98.3 97.8
vaccinations Mon Chin
O RT Us e Rat e: % of children aged 0-59 months who had diarrhoea in the 90.2 47.2
75.5 66.3
last two weeks and received ORT Tanintharyi Kachin
H IV-t es t in g f or pregn an t women : % of women attending ANC who 98.2 12.1
46.5 51
tested for HIV and received the result Kayah Chin
ART f or P M TCT : % of HIV-positive pregnant women who received
102.2 35.7
HIV

antiretroviral drugs to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission 87.2 82

Magway Shan South
during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding
H IV-t es t in g f or in f an t s : % of infants born to HIV-positive women 42.4 1.1
2.7 9.5
receiving a virological test for HIV within 2 months of birth Shan South Magway
92.5 51.1
Improved wat er : % of households using improved water sources 92.5 82.3
Yangon Kayin
SAN ITATION

Diarrhoea prevalen c e: % of children who had diarrhoea in the last two 13.1 2.5
W ATER &

6.7 6.7
weeks Chin Sagaing
Improved s an it at ion : % of households with access to sanitary means of 93.8 48.0
93.8 84.6
excreta disposal Yangon Rakhine
40.7 0.3
O pen def ec at ion : % of households practicing open defecation 0.3 7
Rakhine Yangon
E arly c hildhood edu c at ion : % of children aged 36-59 months currently 60.7 5.4
34 22.9
EDUC ATION

attending early childhood education Kayah Rakhine

96.3 71.4
P rimary s c hool en rolmen t : Net Enrolment Rate in Primary School 93.4 87.7
Kayah Rakhine
72.3 31.7
P rimary s c hool c omplet ion : Net Primary School Completion Rate 70.1 54.2
Tanintharyi Rakhine
PROTEC TION

Birt h regis t rat ion : % of children aged 0-59 months whose births are 95.2 24.4
95.2 72.4
registered Yangon Chin
C HILD

P aren t al c are: % children aged 0-17 years in households not living with a 18.7 1.3
4.5 5.4
biological parent Mon Rakhine
IN C OM E

73.3 11.4
P overt y in c iden c e: % of population who are poor 16.1 25.6
Chin Kayah

NOTES
All data presented herein, except on the following indicators, comes from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2009-2010.
 Area and Population: Health Management Information System (HMIS) Township Profiles 2011
 Administrative divisions: 2012 MIMU P-Codes Release V (based on the 25 February 2011 Gazette issued by the Ministry of Home
Affairs — with UN/NGO field office updates on the number of villages)
 Poverty Incidence and Primary School Net Enrolment Rate: Integrated Household Living Conditions Assessment (IHLCA) 2009-2010
 HIV-testing for pregnant women, ART for PMTCT and HIV-testing for infants: Myanmar National AIDS Programme 2012 (This is pro-
gramme data, and unlike the data on the other indicators, is likely not representative at the state/regional level.)
The map was developed by the Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) upon request by UNICEF.