Child Survival
Under-5 deaths halved since 2000.
Between 2000 and 2022, the global under-five mortality rate dropped by 51%, saving millions of young lives. However, the pace of improvement is slowing. Newborns make up almost half of all under-five deaths. If current trends persist, 59 countries are expected to fall short of the Sustainable Development Goal for child survival, with wide disparities between regions.
Insights
Political: Many countries lack the governance frameworks to prioritize child and neonatal health, especially where health systems are fragile.
Economic: Missed targets carry high human and economic costs; reaching them could avert 9 million child deaths by 2030.
Social: A child born in a high-mortality country faces up to 80 times the risk of death before age five compared to one in a low-mortality country—revealing deep inequities.
Technological: Innovations in neonatal care, telehealth, Electronic Medical Records, remote diagnostics, and AI-supported birth tracking can extend care to underserved populations.
Legal: Gaps in child protection and healthcare coverage persist, especially for marginalized populations; legal mandates for universal coverage are urgently needed.
Environmental: Climate-driven health shocks—like food insecurity and disease outbreaks—pose rising risks to infants in vulnerable settings.
Reflective Questions
How might we accelerate newborn survival gains where progress has slowed most?
What systemic shifts could help reduce the extreme disparities in child survival between countries?
How can health systems better anticipate and mitigate environmental-related risks to child health?
Related Insight Cards
References:
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024. Levels & trends in child mortality: report 2023. New York, Geneva, Washington, DC: United Nations Children’s Fund, World Health Organization, World Bank Group, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Available at: https://childmortality.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/UNIGME-2023-Child-Mortality-Report.pdf
United Nations, 2017. Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: resolution/adopted by the General Assembly. New York: United Nations. A/RES/71/313. Available at: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/1291226?v=pdf
