According to two new reports released today for UN IGME (UNIGME) today, the number of children who died globally before their fifth anniversary in 2023 has decreased to 4.8 million, with birth decline, which is still about 1. 1.9 million.
Since 2000, children’s deaths have decreased by more than half a third, which is fueled by permanent investment in children’s survival worldwide. In 2022, the world reached a historic milestone when children’s deaths decreased to 5 million. However, progress is slow and many children are still losing for curable reasons.
“Millions of children are still alive because of the global commitment to access to proven intervention, such as vaccines, nutrients, and safe water and basic cleaning,” said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell. “Reducing a record -to -do death is a significant achievement. But without the right policy selection and proper investment, we take the risk of changing the benefits of these rigorous earnings, millions of more children are dying for precautionary reasons. We cannot allow this to happen.”
Decades of progress in children’s survival is now at risk as big donors have announced or indicated significant cuts in funding to help forward. Due to the lack of financial support for life -saving children’s survival programs, the shortage of health care workers, clinic closures, disrupting the vaccination program, and the treatment of malaria are causing essential equipment. The deduction is severely affecting these areas in humanitarian crises, debt -ridden countries and already in areas with infant mortality rates. The Ben Agency Group warned that efforts to monitor and detect global financing could also be damaged, making it difficult to reach very weak children.
“We can make a difference for millions of families, until ensuring evidence -based care for children emerging from malaria,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gabris, director general of the World Health Organization. “Despite the global financial support, there is more need to advance co -operation to protect and improve children’s health.”
Before the current funding crisis, the pace of progress on children’s survival had already slowed. Since 2015, the annual rate of decrease in five mortality has decreased by 42 %, and compared to 2000-2015, birth decline has decreased by 53 %.
In the first month of life, at least half of the deaths are due to premature birth and complications during labor. Beyond the newborn, infectious diseases, including severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea, are the most important causes of the prevention of children’s death. Meanwhile, 45 late births are during labor, often due to maternity infections, prolonged or obstructed labor and lack of timely medical intervention.
According to these reports, standard maternity, newborn, and better access to children’s health care at all levels of the health system will save many more lives. It includes promoting communities and precautionary care, health facilities and timely visit to health professionals, pre -birth and after -birth care, well -known vaccine and comprehensive nutritional programs, including normal vaccine and comprehensive nutritional and normal childbirth.
“Most prevention deaths are found in low -income countries, where essential services, vaccines and treatments are often inaccessible,” said the World Bank Global Director of World Bank Global Director and World Bank Global Director, Joan Pablo Arvib, the World Bank Global Director, said the World Bank Global Director. “Investing in children’s health ensures future partnerships in their survival, education and manpower. With strategic investment and strong political will, we can continue to reduce children’s deaths, open economic growth and employment opportunities that benefit the whole world.”
These reports also show that where a child is born greatly affects the chances of survival. The risk of death before the age of five is 80 times higher in the highest -owned country than the lowest -martial country, for example, while a baby born in Sahara Africa is likely to die 18 times more than the five born in Australia and New Zealand. In countries, the poorest children, living in rural areas, and living with less educated mothers face greater risk.
Birth differences are still so severe, with all of which are located about 80 % of the Sahara Africa and South Asia, where women are six to eight times higher than women in Europe or North America. Meanwhile, women in low -income countries are likely to experience eight times more births than high income countries.
“Disadvantages of child deaths in the United Nations and within it is one of the biggest challenges of our time,” said Lee Jinnah. “Reducing such differences is not just a moral mandatory, but also a fundamental step towards sustainable development and global equity. Every child deserves a suitable opportunity in life, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that no child is left behind.”
UN members have called on governments, donors and partners in the private and public sectors to protect their children’s lives and to protect their hard work. There is an urgent need for investment, integration, and innovations to increase access to life -saving health, nutrition, and social protection services for children and pregnant mothers.
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Two reports from a series of important global data sets released in 2025 – children’s deaths and levels of birth count and trends.
About these IGME
In the United Nations Ben Agency Group 2004, the United Nations Ben Agency Group was devoted to sharing children’s death data, improving child mortality methods, reporting progress toward children’s survival goals, and enhancing the ability to evaluate children’s deaths properly. UNICEF is led by the UN IGME and includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division.
For more information: http://www.childmortality.org/
