The United Nations has raised concerns over slowing progress in reducing child mortality, revealing that an estimated 4.9 million children died globally before their fifth birthday in 2024.
The figures were released on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in a new report by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), titled Level and Trends in Child Mortality.
According to the report, about 2.3 million of the deaths recorded in 2024 occurred among newborns, highlighting the high risks faced in the earliest stages of life.
Although global under-five deaths have declined by more than half since 2000, the report noted that progress has slowed significantly since 2015, raising concerns among global health stakeholders.
The UN emphasised that most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which alone accounted for 58 per cent of all under-five deaths worldwide in 2024.
Countries with some of the highest child mortality burdens include Nigeria, Chad, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan.
The report noted that child mortality rates are far lower in developed regions such as Europe and North America, where better access to healthcare, nutrition, and living conditions has significantly reduced preventable deaths.
It added that most of the deaths globally are preventable through affordable interventions, including improved maternal care, vaccinations, nutrition, and access to basic health services.
For the first time, the report also provided detailed estimates of causes of death, including Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), which directly accounted for over 100,000 child deaths in 2024. The actual impact is believed to be higher due to its role in weakening children’s immunity.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that the slowdown in progress is occurring at a time of reduced global funding, posing a threat to gains made over the years.
Similarly, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed that children in conflict and crisis-affected areas are nearly three times more likely to die before age five.
The report further highlighted that infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea remain leading causes of death in high-burden regions, especially across sub-Saharan Africa.
While progress has been sustained in wealthier regions, the UN called for urgent global action to address inequalities, increase investment in child health, and ensure that children everywhere—especially in vulnerable regions—have a better chance of survival.
