Child mortality: worldwide reached an all-time low in 2022, 4.9 million children died before the age of 5, one death every 6 seconds

ROMA – The number of children who died before their fifth birthday reached an all-time low in 2022 with 4.9 million cases, according to the latest data published by the United Nations Inter-Agency Panel on Child Mortality Estimation (AN IGME). 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 further lowered this rate, demonstrating that Progress is possible when primary healthcare is adequately funded. The results show, for example, that Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia and Rwanda reduced under-5 mortality by more than 75 percent in twenty-two years. But the outcome of the research also reveals that, despite these improvements, there is still a long way to go. In addition to the 4.9 million lives lost before the age of 5 – of which almost half were newborns – there are also 2.1 million children and young people aged between 5 and 24. Most of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The causes of mortality. The tragic loss of young lives is mainly due to preventable or treatable reasons, such as preterm birth, complications at birth, pneumonia, acute diarrhea and malaria. Many children could have been saved if they had access to high-quality primary healthcare including essential, low-cost interventions such as vaccinations or breastfeeding support. “Although there has been progress, every year millions of families still suffer the devastating pain of losing a child, often in the very first days after birth,” comments the director general ofOMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Where a child is born should not determine whether he or she survives or dies. It is essential to improve access to quality health services for every woman and every newborn, even during emergencies and in remote areas,” he concludes.

Investments. To improve access to quality health services and to save children’s lives, investments in education and employment are needed so that health workers can provide primary health care also at community level through general medical experts. So-called community doctors play an important role in reaching children and families in every area, even the most remote, with life-saving health services such as vaccinations, diagnostic tests, medicines for treatable diseases and nutritional support. These are professionals who should be integrated into primary healthcare systems, should be paid adequately and should be well trained. Most diseases that are fatal to children under five, such as respiratory infections, diarrhea and malaria, are preventable and treatable with the right therapies and if addressed quickly.

The inequalities. Global numbers show signs of progress, yet inequalities still jeopardize the survival of children in many parts of the world. Economic instability, conflicts, old and new, the impacts of climate change and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a stalemate or even reversal of the improvements achieved to date. Children born into the poorest families are twice as likely to die before age 5 as those born into the richest families; those born in a fragile context or in a war zone are still almost three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday. At current rates, 59 countries will not achieve the Millennium Goal of reducing infant mortality under 5 years of age and 64 countries will not achieve the goal of eradicating neonatal mortality. This means that 35 million children will die before turning five by 2030. A toll that will weigh especially on families in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and in general in low-middle income countries.