This paper examines the trends in the socio-economic inequalities of infant
mortality rates in Egypt during the period 1995-2014, using repeated
cross sectional data from the National Demographic and Health Survey. A
multivariate logistic regression model, concentration curves, and concentration
indices are used to examine the demographic and socio-economic correlates
of infant mortality, and how the degree of socio-economic disparities
in child mortality rates has evolved over time. We find a significant drop
in infant mortality rates from 63 deaths per 1000 live births in 1995 to 22
deaths per 1000 live births in 2014. Results show an inverse association between
infant mortality rates and living standard measures, with the poor
bearing the largest burden of early child mortality. Though the estimated
concentration indices show a decline in the degree of socio-economic inequality
in child mortality rates over time, infant mortality rate among the poor
remains twice the rate of the richest wealth quintile. Nonetheless, this decline
in the degree of socio-economic inequality in child mortality rates was not
supported by the results of the multivariate logistic regression model. Results
of the logistic model show higher odds of infant mortality among rural
households, children who are twins, households with risky birth intervals. No
statistically significant association was found between infant mortality and
access to safe water, gender, and mothers’ education. Infant mortality was
negatively associated with household wealth, receiving a regular health care
during pregnancy by mothers, having more than two under-five children. By
identifying the correlates of child mortality, the findings of this paper inform
intervention measures that aim at reducing child mortality rates and socioeconomic
inequalities in Egypt.