Only half of the children under 5 years old in the developing world have their births registered. While registration is almost universal in some countries, in others only a small proportion of children are registered. Evidence shows that significant differences in registration levels may also exist within countries and between population groups, even if the national prevalence of birth registration is high.

Social disadvantage plays a key part in determining which children go unregistered, whether their parents are deterred by the cost, have difficulties accessing the service or are hindered by other factors. Although there are no differences in levels of registration based on sex, a child from the poorest 20 per cent of households is less likely to be registered, as is a child from certain ethnic groups.

Birth registration is not only a human right, it is also a vital component of child protection. It is therefore essential that children from marginalized, disadvantaged social groups – who are more vulnerable to exploitation – have the opportunity to benefit from this official record of their existence, age and nationality.

Actions in support of birth registration include legal and policy reform and the creation of national plans of action and strategies; capacity building and awareness-raising; the integration of birth registration into other services, such as health and education, so as to reach more children; community-based registration and social mobilization campaigns.