Abstract

• Despite the reduction in the global under-five child mortality rate, there has been a considerable rate in the death of many children before their fifth birthday in Myanmar. Therefore, the causes of under-five mortality need to be investigated because it is a critical issue for the development of a country like Myanmar. This study attempted to analyze under-five mortality in Myanmar with an application of the zero-inflated Poisson regression model. A sample of 3670 mothers with children aged 0-59 months was collected from the 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) for the data analysis. The results revealed that mothers’ education, household size, childbirth order, and type of fuel for cooking significantly affected the under-five mortality in Myanmar. Among those, childbirth order and mother’s education level were the most significant effects on under-five mortality. Therefore, concerned efforts should be made to improve mother's access to education and birth control. Hence, the Myanmar government should plan the respective programs and promote infrastructures, health care services, well-being, and survival of a new generation of Myanmar children.