Global child mortality to reach historic low in 2022 – UN report

The number of children who die before their fifth birthday has reached an all-time low, falling to 4.9 million in 2022, according to the latest estimates released today by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group on Child Mortality Estimates (UN IGME).

“Behind these numbers are the stories of midwives and skilled health workers who help mothers deliver their newborns safely, health workers who vaccinate children and protect them from deadly diseases, and community health workers who visit homes to support families to ensure they have adequate health care. and nutritional support for children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Through decades of commitment by individuals, communities and nations to provide children with low-cost, quality and effective health services, we have demonstrated that we have the knowledge and tools to save lives.”

The report reveals that more children are surviving today than ever before, with the global under-5 mortality rate falling by 51 percent since 2000. Several low- and lower-middle-income countries have bucked this decline, showing that progress is possible when resources are adequately allocated to primary health care, including child health and well-being. For example, the findings show that Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia and Rwanda have reduced under-5 mortality by more than 75 percent since 2000.

But the findings also show that despite this progress, we still have a long way to go to end all preventable deaths of children and young people. In addition to the 4.9 million lives lost before the age of 5 – almost half of which were newborns – the lives of another 2.1 million children and young people between the ages of 5 and 24 were also cut short. Most of these deaths were concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

This tragic loss of life is primarily due to preventable or treatable causes, such as premature birth, birth complications, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. Many lives could have been saved with better access to high-quality primary health care, including essential, low-cost interventions such as vaccinations, availability of skilled health personnel at birth, support for early and continued breastfeeding, and diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases.

“Although progress has been made, every year millions of families still suffer the devastating heartbreak of losing a child, often in the first days after birth,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Where a child is born should not determine whether it lives or dies. It is critical to improve access to quality health services for every woman and child, including during emergencies and in remote areas.”

Improving access to quality health services and saving children's lives from preventable deaths requires investment in education, jobs and decent working conditions for health workers who will provide primary health care, including community health workers.

As trusted members of the community, community health workers play an important role in reaching children and families in every community with life-saving health services such as vaccinations, testing and medication for fatal but treatable diseases and nutritional support. They should be integrated into primary care systems and fairly paid, well trained and equipped to provide the highest quality of care.

Studies show that child mortality in the most at-risk countries could drop significantly if community-based child survival interventions could reach those in need. This package of interventions alone would save millions of children and provide care closer to home. Integrated treatment of childhood diseases – especially the leading causes of post-neonatal death, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and malaria – is necessary to improve child health and survival.

“This year's report is an important milestone showing that fewer children are dying before their fifth birthday,” said Dr. Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank and Director, Global Fund for Women, Children and Adolescents. “But this is simply not enough. We must accelerate progress with more investment, collaboration and focus to end preventable child deaths and honor our global commitment. We owe it to all children to ensure they have access to the same health care and opportunities, regardless of where they were born.”

While global figures show welcome signs of progress, there are also significant threats and inequalities that threaten the survival of children in many parts of the world. These threats include increasing inequality and economic instability, new and protracted conflicts, the increasing impact of climate change and the consequences of COVID-19, which could lead to stagnation or even a reversal of success and the continued unnecessary loss of children's lives. Children born in the poorest households are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday compared to the richest households, while children living in fragile or conflict-affected environments are almost three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than children elsewhere.

“New estimates show that increasing access to high-quality health care, especially at birth, helps reduce mortality among children under the age of 5,” said Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary for Economic and Social Affairs. “While milestones in reducing child mortality are important for tracking progress, they should also remind us that further efforts and investments are needed to reduce inequalities and end preventable deaths among infants, children and youth worldwide.”

At current rates, 59 countries will miss the under-5 mortality target and 64 countries will miss the infant mortality target. This means an estimated 35 million children will die before reaching their fifth birthday by 2030 – a death toll borne mostly by families in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, or in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

The report also notes major data gaps, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where the burden of mortality is high. Data and statistical systems must be improved to better monitor and monitor child survival and health, including mortality and health indicators through household surveys, registration of births and deaths through Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), and civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS).