The Forgotten: Child Mortality Among Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. Evidence from the 2017 Census

Following the Bicentennial of the republic, there are still no estimates of child mortality for the various Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, who represent 1% of the national population and 4% of the total indigenous population. This basic health indicator has previously been calculated using the Demographic and Health Survey at the national level and across different socioeconomic groups. However, the sample size of this survey limits the reliability of estimates for the different Amazonian Indigenous peoples. Using individual-level data from mothers registered in the national censuses, we can provide the first estimate of child mortality among Indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon. Our findings reveal significant inequity affecting Amazonian Indigenous peoples, with a child mortality rate of three times higher than in Lima and 70% higher than that of other residents of the Amazon. Rural Shipibo-Konibo children face a double mortality rate compared to Awajún children. Although higher maternal education and greater household wealth are associated with lower mortality rates among Amazonian Indigenous children, significant disparities persist when these children are compared with those from other ethnic groups with similar levels of mothers' education and wealth. Even after accounting for socioeconomic factors, mortality among Amazonian Indigenous children remains disproportionately high, a result that is robust to both linear and count-data regression models.