Neonatal Mortality Rate in the Context of Air Pollution: A Comparative Investigation

This study investigates the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and inhalable particulate matter levels with a diameter of at most 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) on neonatal mortality rates across 88 countries, building upon an extensive amount of literature highlighting the harmful effects of air pollution on health. We categorize the countries based on their levels of CO2 emissions and PM2.5 pollution as high versus low emitters, showing a statistically significant disparity in the average neonatal mortality rates between countries with high and low levels of CO2 and PM2.5. Further exploring the underlying factors influencing the neonatal mortality rate within each group with the help of regression analysis, we identified several significant socioeconomic, environmental, and health-related factors affecting the neonatal mortality rate. Our findings highlight urgent public health concerns toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3, at a country level that address health-related issues in varying contexts of environmental pollution.