Sociodemographic and Healthcare Determinants

Access to electricity had the largest protective posterior fixed effect for under-5 mortality (beta=−8.50) and infant mortality (beta=−6.45). Female literacy and life expectancy were negatively associated with child mortality, indicating long-term child survival benefits from education and general health access. Environmental variables such as temperature and precipitation had weaker associations with child mortality than immunisation, longevity and education indicators. The persistence of high-risk clusters in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar may reflect conflict, displacement, weak health infrastructure and uneven access to maternal and child health services. Hospital bed density showed an unexpected positive coefficient for under-5 mortality (beta=2.60), likely reflecting healthcare strain in high-mortality settings rather than a harmful direct effect.