*3.1. PAB Coverage Medians*

Median national PAB coverage among the most recent survey sample (N = 76) was 69.1% (95% CI 61.6–71.9%), ranging from 15.0% in Trinidad and Tobago to 91.8% in India. Median national PAB coverage was 71.0% (95% CI 58.2–79.3%) in low-income countries (*n* = 20), 71.3% (95% CI 66.1–76.1%) in lower-middle-income countries (*n* = 34), and 64.7% (95% CI 35.7–71.2%) in upper-middle-income countries (*n* = 20). PAB coverage differed by within-country populations subgroups for all examined dimensions of inequality (see Figure 1, Interactive Supplemental Table S1). Median PAB coverage increased monotonically with increasing wealth, from 61.6% (95% CI 51.4–70.2%) among the poorest quintile to 77.3% (95% CI 67.8–80.1%) among the richest. Children of younger mothers were less likely to have protection at birth, with median coverage increasing from 63.0% (95% CI 60.1–69.6%) among mothers aged 15–19 to 71.1% (95% CI 66.8–75.1%) among mothers aged 20–49. Maternal education was also associated with median PAB coverage, increasing from 63.1% (95% CI 52.5–69.2%) among mothers with no education, to 71.5% (95% CI 66.7–75.3%) among mothers with primary education, to 78.5% (95% CI 74.5–81.1%) among mothers with secondary or higher education. Finally, children in urban areas had higher median PAB coverage than children in rural areas (73.6% urban [95% CI 66.9–77.4%] vs. 66.0% rural [95% CI 59.1–72.7%]).

**Figure 1.** Latest situation of inequality in PAB coverage (DHS/MICS, 2011–2020).

These patterns in inequalities in PAB coverage are largely consistent across country income groupings, with two exceptions. Increasing wealth and increased maternal age are not associated with increased coverage for upper-middle-income countries (see Figure 2a,b). Increasing wealth and older maternal age are associated with increased coverage for lowincome and lower-middle-income countries, however. Within all three income groupings, we see a consistent increase in coverage with increasing maternal education (see Figure 2c) and greater coverage in urban compared to rural areas (see Figure 2d).

#### *3.2. Absolute and Relative Inequality in PAB Coverage*

The median difference between PAB coverage in the richest wealth quintile and poorest wealth quintile among the most recent survey sample was 7.9 percentage points (95% CI 5.0–11.8), and the ratio in coverage between these quintiles was 1.12 (95% CI 1.08–1.19) (see Table 1, Interactive Supplemental Table S1). These measures differed by country income grouping; in low-income countries, the median difference was 15.2 percentage points (95% CI 5.7–24.7), lower–middle-income countries had a smaller gap of 10.9 percentage points (95% CI 7.2–16.7), and upper-middle-income countries had a small negative gap of −1.5 percentage points in coverage (95% CI −6.5–5.5). The median ratio of coverage between the richest and poorest wealth quintile followed a similar pattern: 1.21 (95% CI 1.09–1.66) among low-income countries, 1.16 (95% CI 1.10–1.32) among lower-middleincome countries, and 0.98 (95% CI 0.88–1.08) among upper-middle-income countries.

Differences by maternal age were also evident. Overall, the median difference between PAB coverage in children of mothers aged 15–19 and mothers aged 20–49 among the most recent survey sample was 4.5 percentage points (95% CI 2.9–6.1), and the ratio in coverage between these groups was 1.07 (95% CI 1.04–1.10). In low-income countries, the median difference in coverage was 4.8 percentage points (95% CI 1.9–8.4). Lower-middle-income countries had a slightly larger gap of 6.0 percentage points (95% CI 3.7–8.3), while uppermiddle-income countries had a small gap of 1.1 percentage points (95% CI −3.0–5.0) in coverage. The median ratio of coverage between the children of older and younger mothers followed a similar pattern: 1.09 (95% CI 1.03–1.18) among low-income countries, 1.09 (95%
