Relationships between infant mortality and socioeconomic and demographic factors in Kazakhstan: an analysis from a middleincome country in Central Asia

Abstract

Background Infant mortality rate is an important indicator of a nation’s overall health and development. Kazakhstan, like many Central Asian countries, has faced its fluctuating trends during the last decade influenced by various socioeconomic factors. This study aims to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic and infant mortality indicators in Kazakhstan from 2010 to 2021. Methods We analyzed aggregated panel data from all 14 regions of Kazakhstan and 3 major cities (Astana, Almaty and Shymkent) over a twelve-year period, including socioeconomic and demographic variables obtained from the Bureau of National Statistics and the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Log transformation was applied to achieve symmetrical distribution and standardization of selected variables. Multiple linear regression assessed the effect size of significant predictors on infant mortality.