National averages can hide very large differences within the country. For that reason, whenever possible, it is recommended to disaggregate the data in order to identify the status of children belonging to different groups in society. The following criteria are useful in disaggregation of data:
- by gender
- by urban / rural
- by income
- by socio-cultural or ethnic background
- by geographical location
- by political/administrative unit
- by age group
Disaggregating data to the lowest political-administrative unit possible will yield the most detailed information. Health, nutrition, and education data are often available on the national, sub-national (such as state, province or region), district and/or municipality level.
Disaggregating the data by age group will show how children from different ages run different types of risk. For example, the ten leading causes of death will be different for infants then for preschoolers. Enrollment in child care or preschool may vary according to age and according to income.
To interpret the measured indicators in order to make a judgment about the current status, a comparison with targets or other countries is useful:
- comparison with targets. Targets could be:
- 100% immunization rate or primary school enrollment
- an Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 40 per thousand
- comparison with comparable income countries
- performance below the average shows that other countries with a comparable national income have been able to better translate their economic development into improvements in human development
- comparison with countries in the region
- countries in the region often have a similar culture, similar climate etc.
- comparison over time
- tracking the development of indicators over time (for example over the last two decades) can show whether and how much the situation in a country has improved, whether no change in indicators has occurred, and/or whether the situation has actually worsened.
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