UNICEF: 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2022

According to estimates, 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2022. This marks a 51 percent decrease since 2000 and a 62 percent drop since 1990. However, the report cautions that such progress remains “precarious” and uneven.

Helga Fogstad, director of health at UNICEF, highlighted the positive development, stating, “There is a lot of good news, and the major one is that we have come to a historic level of under-five mortality, which… reached under 5 million for the first time, so it is 4.9 million per year.”

The report, prepared by UNICEF in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, notes significant progress in developing countries like Malawi, Rwanda, and Mongolia, where early childhood mortality has plummeted by over 75 percent since 2000.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell praised the efforts of midwives and skilled health personnel, emphasizing their role in ensuring safe deliveries, administering vaccinations, and providing support to families through home visits.

However, the report issues a warning, stating, “This is a precarious achievement.” It highlights the risk of stagnation or regression in progress unless efforts are made to address the various threats to newborn and child health and survival.

Researchers express concern over signs indicating a slowdown in the reduction of under-five deaths globally, particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Since 2000, a total of 162 million children under the age of five have died, with 72 million succumbing within the first month of life, mainly due to birth-related complications. Between one month and five years of age, respiratory infections, malaria, and diarrhea are the leading causes of death, all of which are preventable.

To achieve the UN’s goal of reducing under-five deaths to 25 per 1,000 births by 2030, urgent investment in children’s health is needed in 59 countries. Without adequate funding, 64 countries are expected to fall short of the goal of limiting first-month deaths to 12 per 1,000 births.

The report emphasizes that these statistics represent real lives lost and underscores the stark inequalities across the globe. In 2022, half of all deaths of children under five occurred in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Moreover, the likelihood of a child dying before their fifth birthday is 80 times higher in countries with high early childhood mortality rates, such as Chad, Nigeria, or Somalia, compared to countries with low mortality rates like Finland, Japan, and Singapore.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stresses that where a child is born should not determine whether they live or die.