UN laments stagnant progress as 4.9 million children die before age five

KEY POINTS

• A new report by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) reveals that 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024.
• While under-five deaths have fallen by over half since 2000, the pace of reduction has slowed by more than 60% since 2015.
• For the first time, the report integrates estimates on causes of death, finding that Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) directly caused over 100,000 deaths in 2024.
• Disparities remain stark: Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 58% of all under-five deaths, with malaria remaining the single largest killer in children aged 1–59 months.

MAIN STORY

The United Nations has condemned the stagnating progress in reducing child mortality, noting that 4.9 million children still die annually before reaching their fifth birthday. According to the latest report, titled “Level and Trends in Child Mortality,” released on Wednesday, nearly half of these fatalities: 2.3 million occur during the newborn period.

UN agencies warned that the majority of these deaths are preventable through low-cost interventions and improved access to quality healthcare, yet global budget cuts and conflict are hampering survival rates.

The 2024 report marks a milestone by fully assessing leading causes of death. Notably, it highlights the devastating impact of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), which directly claimed the lives of 5% of children aged 1–59 months.

UN experts noted that the true toll is likely higher, as malnutrition weakens immune systems, making children more susceptible to common diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea. Countries such as Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan recorded some of the highest direct death rates from SAM.

The report further underscores a massive geographical divide. In sub-Saharan Africa, infectious diseases are responsible for 54% of under-five deaths, compared to just 6% in Australia and New Zealand. Malaria remains the primary killer in this age group, concentrated heavily in countries like Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 These regions face a “polycrisis” of conflict, climate shocks, and drug-resistant biological threats that block access to life-saving treatments.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus both emphasized that children in conflict zones are nearly three times more likely to die before age five.

As the risks shift into adolescence, the report also found that self-harm has become the leading cause of death for girls aged 15–19, while road traffic injuries are the primary threat to boys in the same age bracket. The findings serve as an urgent call for sustained political will and investment to reach the world’s most vulnerable families.

WHAT’S BEING SAID

• “No child should die from diseases that we know how to prevent,” stated Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.
• “Children living amid conflict and crisis are nearly three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday,” noted Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
• “These findings are a collective call to speed up implementation of the proven, scalable solutions we know are within reach,” added Monique Vledder, World Bank Group Director for Health.

WHAT’S NEXT

• The World Bank Group has set a target to reach 1.5 billion people with quality primary health services to accelerate access for families in high-burden regions.
• UN agencies are calling for an immediate reversal of global health budget cuts to protect essential nutrition and immunization services.
• Increased focus is expected on newborn care (the first 28 days), as complications from preterm birth (36%) and labour (21%) remain the leading causes of neonatal mortality.

BOTTOM LINE

The Bottom Line is that the “easy wins” in child survival have been exhausted. While global mortality has halved since 2000, the remaining 4.9 million annual deaths are concentrated in “fragile” states where conflict and malnutrition intersect, requiring a shift from general healthcare to targeted, high-intensity interventions in crisis zones.

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