An estimated 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to UN estimates released on 18 March. The report puts the slowdown in child survival at the centre of the international health agenda: deaths have more than halved since 2000, but the pace of improvement has slowed markedly since 2015.
The assessment integrates estimates of causes of death, helping governments distinguish the needs of newborns from those of older children. Complications around birth, infectious diseases and malnutrition remain major concerns. The agencies called for sustained investment in primary care, vaccination, nutrition and reliable health information. They also cautioned that updated methods and population data mean successive editions should not be compared as if their estimates were unchanged.