Global Child Deaths Rise: Progress Slows Dramatically

An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, according to five research papers published in The British Medical Journal. This figure includes 2.3 million neonatal deaths, with mortality rates disproportionately high in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia due to data limitations.

Progress in decreasing preventable deaths for newborns, children, and adolescents has slowed considerably since 2015. While the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) declined by 3.9% between 2000 and 2015, the rate of decline fell to just 1.5% from 2015 to 2024.

Pre-term birth complications and pneumonia were identified as the leading causes of death for children under five. Furthermore, 1.3 million deaths were estimated among individuals aged 5-19 in 2024, with communicable diseases and nutritional causes significantly impacting younger children in this group.

Despite these challenges, 134 countries have met the Sustainable Development Goal target for U5MR by 2030. However, projections suggest 60 countries will still fall short, affecting nearly half of the global under-five population. Wealthy nations are urged to increase official development assistance to improve health and nutrition in low and middle-income countries.