Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10 - Timor-Leste Ministry of ...

percent of children under age 5 were reported to have been registered (hospital record, village record,
proof of birth, and birth certificate), but only 9 percent had a birth certificate. The significant increase
in the number of children with a birth certificate is probably due to the mobile registration campaigns
launched by the Ministry of Justice in the districts.
Nearly two-thirds of children age 2-4 years have been registered (65 percent), compared with
two-fifths of children below age 2 (40 percent). About 14-16 percent of all these children do not have
a birth certificate. There is no substantial variation in birth registration by sex of child. Rural children
are more likely to be registered (57 percent) than urban children (50 percent). Most children in
Manufahi are registered (91 percent), in contrast with children living in Viqueque, Covalima, Dili,
and Liquiçá, where 40 percent or fewer are registered. The percentage of children registered ranges
from a low of 50 percent among those in the lowest wealth quintile to a high of 59 percent among
those in the middle wealth quintile.
Table 2.12 Birth registration of children under age 5
Percentage of de jure children under age 5 whose births are registered with
the civil authorities, according to background characteristics, Timor-Leste
2009-10
Background
characteristic
Percentage of children whose births
are registered
Had a birth
certificate
Did not have
a birth
certificate
Total
registered
Number of
children
Age