Composite index for measuring socioeconomic and regional inequalities in early childhood development in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Early childhood development (ECD) is a crucial stage of rapid growth, where inadequate progress can lead to lasting impacts on learning, adaptability and future societal contribution. This study develops a composite index of ECD to measure socioeconomic and regional inequalities in Bangladesh and identify disadvantaged subpopulations. METHODS: The index was constructed using principal component analysis (PCA) applied to data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, covering children aged 36-59 months. The PCA on 18 indicators yielded six principal components representing distinct domains of ECD: social and emotional engagement, cognitive and linguistic development, physical development, independence, well-being and health, and the family environment. The ECD Index (ECDI) was then derived as a weighted average of scores from these six principal components, with weights reflecting the proportion of variance explained by each. Exploratory and mixed-effects regression analysis was performed to examine the variation in ECDI scores across socioeconomic groups and regions and identify the most disadvantaged subgroups and areas. RESULTS: 0.01), with several districts showing low ECDI scores. CONCLUSION: These disparities suggest that structural and household-level factors play a critical role in shaping child development outcomes. The findings provide evidence to inform policies targeting vulnerable groups and to promote more equitable ECD in Bangladesh.