Work

When It Rains: The Dual Impact of Rainfall on Child Survival in Rural Senegal

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We analyze how rainfall anomalies affect child survival in semiarid rural Senegal. The study uses 50,000 child records over four decades from the Niakhar HDSS, the oldest in Africa. Past rain shortfalls raise child mortality while current rainfall shocks matter less. Rainfall seasonality shapes children's vulnerability to rainfall anomalies. Food scarcity and disease exposure jointly drive these mortality effects.

Source: Demography

DOI: 10.1215/00703370-12908775

Authors: Hamidou Diallo, Anne-Sophie Robilliard

Institutions: World Bank, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire d’Economie de Dauphine

Language: English

Topic: Global Maternal and Child Health

Subfield: Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, No poverty, Clean water and sanitation, Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,750