An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, as progress in reducing child mortality slowed sharply, according to a UN report released.
While under-5 deaths have declined by more than half since 2000, the pace of reduction has slowed by over 60% since 2015, raising concerns that global efforts are losing momentum. Most of these deaths were preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality health care, the report said.
The report has been produced by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, ?and the UN population division. “No child should die from diseases that we know how to prevent. But we see worrying signs that progress in child survival is slowing,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the report.
Newborns accounted for nearly half of all deaths, reflecting slower progress in preventing deaths around the time of birth. Complications from preterm birth made up 36% of newborn deaths, followed by complications during labor and delivery at 21%.
Beyond the first month, infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea remained major killers. Malaria alone accounted for 17% of deaths in older children.
For the first time, the report estimated deaths directly linked to severe acute malnutrition, finding more than 100,000 children died from it in 2024.
“Children living amid conflict and crisis are nearly three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “We must protect essential health and nutrition services and reach the most vulnerable families so every child has the chance not only to survive, but to thrive.”