India sustains progress in reducing child deaths amid slowing global gains, says new UN report

An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to the latest estimates released by a UN report on child mortality, which assessed leading causes of under-five mortality. The report, released on Wednesday (March 18, 2026), said that most of these deaths were preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality healthcare.

The report titled ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ added that under-five deaths globally have fallen by more than half since 2000. However, since 2015, the pace of reduction in child mortality has slowed by more than 60%.

However, India is among the countries demonstrating steady progress in reducing child mortality through sustained public health efforts. The latest United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME) Report 2025 states that the status of neonatal mortality rate reduction in India has shown progress.

The Union Health Ministry added that India, over the past two decades, has played a pivotal role in reducing child mortality in the South Asia region.

The Union Health Ministry in its release said that the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) recorded a decline from 1990. In 1990, India had an NMR of 57 per 1,000 live, which fell to 17 in 2024. 

Also, the Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) witnessed a sharp fall — in 1990, the U5MR stood at 127 per 1,000 live births, while in 2024 it declined to 27.

“This sharp reduction is due to targeted public health interventions, improved institutional delivery systems, and expanded immunisation coverage,” the Ministry said.

The UN report found that an estimated 2.1 million children, adolescents and youth aged five-24 years died in 2024. Infectious diseases and injuries remain leading causes among younger children, while risks shift in adolescence — self-harm is the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 years, and road traffic injuries is the leading cause of death among boys.

“This year’s report for the first time estimates deaths directly caused by severe acute malnutrition. It found more than 1,00,000 children aged 1-59 months — or 5% — died from it in 2024. The toll is far greater when indirect effects are considered, as malnutrition weakens children’s immunity and increases their risk of dying from common childhood diseases,’’ the report by the United Nations Inter Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation states.

Mortality data also frequently fail to capture severe acute malnutrition as an underlying cause of death, suggesting the burden is likely substantially underestimated. Some of the countries with the highest numbers of direct deaths include Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan.

Newborn deaths account for nearly half of all under-five deaths, reflecting slower progress in preventing deaths around the time of birth.

Leading causes of newborn deaths were complications from preterm birth (36%), and complications during labour and delivery (21%). Infections, including neonatal sepsis and congenital anomalies, were also important causes.

Beyond the first month, infectious diseases, including malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia were major killers. Malaria remained the single largest killer in this age group (17%), with most deaths occurring in endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa. After steep declines between 2000 and 2015, progress towards reducing malaria mortality slowed in recent years. 

In 2024, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 58% of all under-five deaths. 

“Shifts in the global development financing landscape are placing critical maternal, newborn, and child health programmes under growing pressure,’’ the report said, while suggesting that evidence shows investments in child health remain among the most cost-effective development measures.

Proven, low-cost interventions, including vaccines, treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and skilled care at birth, deliver some of the highest returns in global health, improving productivity, strengthening economies, and reducing future public spending.

Published – March 18, 2026 11:13 pm IST