A United Nations report released on Tuesday, March 17, 2025, revealed that an estimated 4.9 million children under the age of five died globally in 2024, with nearly half (2.3 million) being newborns
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Summary
A United Nations report released on Tuesday, March 17, 2025, revealed that an estimated 4.9 million children under the age of five died globally in 2024, with nearly half (2.3 million) being newborns. The report, titled 'Levels and Trends in Child Mortality' from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), states that most of these deaths resulted from preventable or treatable causes, such as prematurity, complications during birth, infections, and malnutrition. The analysis warns that progress in reducing child mortality has stalled since the early 2000s due to factors including climate crises, conflicts, and a lack of funding in healthcare. The UN further projects that, without significant intervention, 27 million children could die from preventable causes by 2030. The report is significant for providing a comprehensive, cause-specific breakdown of child mortality data to guide global health policy.
★ Why It Matters
This report highlights a critical stagnation in global progress on child survival, indicating that millions of preventable deaths continue to occur annually despite the availability of low-cost interventions. It underscores systemic failures in healthcare access and funding, exacerbated by climate change and conflict, and serves as a urgent call for targeted international action to meet Sustainable Development Goals.