An estimated 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to a series of five studies published in The BMJ. The research highlights both the progress made in reducing child mortality and the growing challenges in sustaining those gains. While global under-five mortality has fallen by more than half since 2000, the annual rate of decline slowed from 3.9% between 2000 and 2015 to just 1.5% between 2015 and 2024.
Preterm birth complications and pneumonia remained among the leading causes of death, with many fatalities considered preventable through improved access to healthcare, nutrition, immunization, and maternal-newborn services. The studies also estimated 1.3 million deaths among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years in 2024. Although 134 countries have already achieved the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)…
