Assessing the Quality of Birth Data within the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System for Fertility Estimation in Malawi

Pierre Dindi, National Registration Bureau
Richard Phiri, National Statistical Office
Francis Mukhupa, National Registration Bureau
Amos Nyaka, Ministry of Health
Rhodric Langwe, National Registration Bureau
Charles Katcherekhwanya, National Registration Bureau
John Chilenga, National Registration Bureau
Atusaye Mwambyale, National Statistical Office
Mphatso Sambo, National Registration Bureau
Noel Chikhungu, National Registration Bureau
Chisomo Singano, National Statistical Office

Background While fertility data informs demographic shifts and development planning, Malawi relies on censuses and surveys to collect such data. These are costly, logistically demanding, and sparsely provide data across time periods. We assess the quality of Malawi’s birth registration data for fertility estimation. Methods: Data was obtained from the National Registration Bureau and assessed for timeliness, completeness and accuracy using Microsoft Office Excel 2021 and Stata Version 17. Measures of fertility were calculated and compared. Results Of the 2,358,001 births registered between 2015-2022, 48% were timely registered. Completeness of registration rose from 2.2% in 2015 to 32.8% in 2022. Calculated CBR and ASFR deviate from the true values reported by NSO. Weighted TFR values show a difference of 0.1 child per woman compared to the true values. Conclusion. Delayed registration, low completeness levels, and the need for statistical adjustment affect the utility of birth registration data.