SDG Target 3.2 End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age

Substantial global progress has been made in reducing childhood mortality since 1990. The total number of under-5 deaths worldwide has declined from 12.8 million in 1990 to 5 million in 2021. Since 1990, the global under-5 mortality rate has dropped by 59%, from 93 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2021. Globally, the number of neonatal deaths also declined, from 5.2 million in 1990 to 2.3 million in 2021. However, the decline in neonatal mortality from 1990 to 2021 has been slower than that of post-neonatal under-5 mortality. There are approximately 6 400 newborn deaths every day, amounting to nearly 47% of all child deaths under the age of 5-years.

Unfortunately, survival gains have stalled significantly since 2010, and 54 countries will fall short of meeting the SDG target for under-5 mortality and 63 countries will not achieve the SDG target for neonatal mortality. Unless swift action is not taken to improve health services and quality of care for newborns and children under-5, many young lives will be unnecessarily lost.

Globally, infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and malaria, along with pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and trauma and congenital anomalies remain the leading causes of death for children under 5.  Access to basic lifesaving interventions such as skilled delivery at birth, quality postnatal care, breastfeeding and adequate nutrition, vaccinations, and treatment for common childhood diseases can save many young lives.

Finally, children continue to face tragically differing chances of survival based on where they are born. In fact, two regions, sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, account for more than 80% of the 5 million under-5 deaths in 2021. In addition, Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest neonatal mortality rate in 2021 at 27 deaths per 1 000 live births, followed by Central and Southern Asia with 22 deaths per 1 000 live births. In fact, a child born in sub-Saharan Africa is 11 times more likely to die in the first month of life than a child born in the region of Australia and New Zealand.