Calculating Childhood Mortality Rates from Algerian MICS Surveys Using the DHS.rates Package

The R DHS.rates package is a new statistical tool specifically designed to calculate key indicators for infant and child mortality, as well as fertility, at both national and subnational levels, using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data and, with minor adjustments, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data. In addition to point estimates, the package also provides precision measures such as standard errors (SE), design effects (DEFT), relative standard errors (RSE), and confidence intervals. The package has been developed in accordance with the DHS Guide to Statistics and the DHS Sampling and Household Listing Manual, ensuring compliance with internationally recognized standards. By applying the DHS.rates R package to the Algerian MICS4 survey data (2012), we recalculated childhood mortality rates and compared them with the figures published in the official MICS report. The analysis revealed significant discrepancies, suggesting that the estimates originally obtained using the SPSS syntax package provided by the MICS program were incorrect. These inconsistencies were corrected using the DHS.rates package and validated by the SYNCMRATES module in Stata, both of which rely on standardized, transparent, and reliable methodologies. This study highlights the importance of using well-tested analytical tools for the accurate computation of key demographic indicators, which are essential for research, policy formulation and monitoring progress toward national and international development goals.