This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Ghana statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Ghana statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Ghana-specific metadata information.
Goal |
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
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Target |
Target 16.9: By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration |
Indicator |
Indicator 16.9.1: Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age |
Definition and concepts |
Concepts: Birth registration: Birth registration is defined as ‘the continuous, permanent and universal recording, within the civil registry, of the occurrence and characteristics of births in accordance with the legal requirements of a country’. Birth certificate: A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term ‘birth certificate’ can refer either to the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth, or to a certified copy or representation of the registration of that birth, depending on the practices of the country issuing the certificate. |
Unit of measure |
Percentage (%) |
Data sources |
Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2011 and 2018 |
Data providers |
Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) |
Rationale |
Registering children at birth is the first step in securing their recognition before the law, safeguarding their rights, and ensuring that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed. Children without official identification documents may be denied health care or education. Later in life, the lack of such documentation can mean that a child may enter into marriage or the labour market, or be conscripted into the armed forces, before the legal age. In adulthood, birth certificates may be required to obtain social assistance or a job in the formal sector, to buy or prove the right to inherit property, to vote and to obtain a passport. Children’s right to a name and nationality is enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) under Article 7. |
Method of computation |
Number of children under age of five whose births are reported as being registered with the relevant national civil authorities divided by the total number of children under the age of five in the population, multiplied by 100. |
Data availability and disaggregation |
There is no available disaggregation for this indicator. |
References and Documentation |
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-16-09-01.pdf |
Metadata last updated | Nov 11, 2022 |