A major global effort is improving understanding of why newborns and young children die, helping health systems target interventions that can prevent many of these deaths. According to a new UN report, nearly 4.9 million children under five died worldwide in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, with most deaths considered preventable through timely, quality healthcare.
Key findings
- Newborn deaths remain the biggest challenge: Almost half of all deaths among children under five occur during the first month of life.
- Leading causes identified: The main causes include:
- Complications from preterm birth
- Birth complications during labor and delivery
- Neonatal infections such as sepsis
- Congenital (birth) abnormalities
- After the newborn period: Pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, and severe malnutrition remain leading causes of death among young children in many low- and middle-income countries.
- Progress slowing: While under-five mortality has fallen by more than half since 2000, the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2015.
Why this matters
Experts say identifying the exact causes of infant and child deaths allows governments and hospitals to strengthen maternal care, improve newborn intensive care, expand vaccination and nutrition programs, and ensure faster treatment for infections—steps that can save millions of lives.
