The United Nations has raised concern over slowing progress in reducing child mortality, revealing that about 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024.
The figures were released in a new report by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, which provides detailed insights into the causes and trends of child deaths globally.
According to the report, approximately 2.3 million of the deaths were newborns, with most cases considered preventable through affordable interventions and improved access to quality healthcare.
Titled “Level and Trends in Child Mortality,” the report notes that while global under-five deaths have dropped by more than half since 2000, progress has slowed significantly since 2015.
For the first time, the study also examined deaths linked to Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), estimating that over 100,000 children aged one to 59 months died directly from the condition in 2024, with the actual toll likely higher due to indirect effects.
Speaking on the findings, Catherine Russell of UNICEF said no child should die from preventable diseases, warning that declining global investment could further stall progress.
Similarly, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization stressed that children in conflict zones are nearly three times more likely to die before age five, urging stronger protection for health and nutrition services.
The report highlights newborn complications, infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea, as well as malnutrition, as leading causes of death.
It also shows that sub-Saharan Africa remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for 58 percent of global under-five deaths, largely due to limited access to life-saving healthcare and ongoing challenges such as conflict and poverty.
The UN called for increased investment, stronger health systems, and accelerated implementation of proven solutions to reduce preventable child deaths and improve survival rates worldwide.
