Improving the timeliness of birth registration in Fiji through a financial incentive.

Background: Fiji is a Pacific Island nation with the predominant ethnic groups indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) (62 %) and Fijians of Indian descent (31 %). This study reports on the effect of a Parental Assistance Payment Program (PAPP) tied to on-time birth registration, available in Fiji from August 2018 to July 2020.

Methods: Unit record birth registration data ( = 117,829) for children born during 2016-22 were used to calculate mean birth-to-registration intervals and the likelihood of on-time birth registration (within 365 days) before the PAPP (January 2016-July 2018) compared to during the PAPP (August 2018-July 2020), by population disaggregations (sex, ethnicity, age, marital status).