A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021 – UN report

NEW YORK/GENEVA/WASHINGTON DC., January 10, 2023 – An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday, and another 2.1 million children and youth aged 5 to 24 lost their lives in 2021, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group on Mortality Estimates of children (UN IGME).

In a separate report also released today, the group found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same period. Unfortunately, many of these deaths could have been prevented with equal access and high-quality health care for mothers, newborns, children and adolescents.

“Every day, too many parents face the trauma of losing their children, sometimes even before they take their first breath,” said Vidhya Ganesh, UNICEF Director of Data Analysis, Planning and Monitoring. “Such a widespread and preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable. Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equal access to primary health care for every woman and child.”

Reports show some positive outcomes with lower risk of death in all age groups globally since 2000. The global mortality rate for children under 5 has fallen by 50% since the beginning of the century, while mortality rates for older children and young people have fallen by 36%, and the stillbirth rate has decreased by 35%. This can be attributed to greater investment in strengthening primary health systems for the benefit of women, children and youth.

However, gains have been significantly reduced since 2010, and 54 countries will fail to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for under-5 mortality. If urgent measures are not taken to improve health services, the agencies warn, almost 59 million children and young people will die before 2030, and almost 16 million babies will be lost to stillbirth.

“It is terribly unfair that a child’s chances of survival can be shaped solely by place of birth and that there are such huge inequities in their access to life-saving health services,” said Dr. Anshu Banerjee, director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and aging at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Children everywhere need strong primary health care systems that meet their needs and the needs of their families, so that – no matter where they are born – they have the best start and hope for the future.”

Children continue to face vastly different odds of survival depending on where they are born, with sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia bearing the heaviest burden, reports show. Although sub-Saharan Africa accounted for only 29% of global live births, the region was responsible for 56% of all under-5 deaths in 2021, and South Asia for 26% of the total. Children born in sub-Saharan Africa are at the highest risk of child death in the world – 15 times the risk for children in Europe and North America.

Mothers in these two regions also suffer the painful loss of babies due to stillbirth at an exceptional rate, with 77% of all stillbirths in 2021 occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Almost half of all stillbirths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. The risk of a woman giving birth to a stillborn child in sub-Saharan Africa is 7 times higher than in Europe and North America.

“Behind these figures are millions of children and families who are denied their basic rights to health,” said Juan Pablo Uribe, World Bank Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population and Director of the Global Fund for Financing. “We need political will and leadership to sustainably finance primary health care, which is one of the best investments countries and development partners can make.”

Access to and availability of quality healthcare remains a matter of life and death for children around the world. Most child deaths occur in the first five years, half of which occur in the first month of life. For these youngest babies, premature birth and complications during childbirth are the leading causes of death. Similarly, more than 40% of stillbirths occur during childbirth – most of which are preventable if women have access to quality care during pregnancy and childbirth. For children who survive the first 28 days, the biggest threat is infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria.

Although COVID-19 has not directly increased childhood mortality—children face a lower likelihood of dying from the disease than adults—the pandemic may have increased future risks to their survival. In particular, the reports highlight concerns about disruptions to vaccination campaigns, food services and access to primary health care, which could threaten their health and well-being for years to come. In addition, the pandemic has encouraged the largest continuous decline in vaccinations in three decadesputting the most vulnerable newborns and children at greater risk of death from preventable diseases.

The reports also cite data gaps, which could critically undermine the impact of policies and programs designed to improve childhood survival and well-being.

“The new estimates highlight the remarkable global progress since 2000 in reducing under-5 mortality,” said John Wilmoth, Director of the UN DESA Population Division. “Despite this success, more work is needed to address the persistent large disparities in child survival across countries and regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Only by improving access to quality health care, especially at the time of birth, will we be able to reduce these inequalities and stop preventable deaths of newborns and children around the world.”

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Notes for editors:

Two reports – Levels and trends of child mortality and never forgotten – are the first in a series of important data sets to be released in 2023, with UN figures on maternal mortality to be released later this year.

Download multimedia content here.

Access to report and data here and stillbirth report here

About UN IGME

The United Nations Inter-Agency Group on Child Mortality Estimates, or UN IGME, was established in 2004 to share data on child mortality, improve methods for estimating child mortality, report on progress toward child survival goals, and strengthen country capacity to produce timely and accurately estimated estimates of child mortality. The UN IGME is led by UNICEF and includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

For more information visit: Child mortality