Progress in reducing child deaths has slowed sharply, with nearly 5 million children under five dying each year, a new UN report reveals. In 2024, 4.9 million under-fives died globally, including 2.3 million newborns.
Despite decades of gains, the rate of decline has weakened. Infectious diseases like malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea remain leading killers beyond the neonatal period. Malaria alone accounts for 17% of deaths among children aged 1 to 59 months, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
For the first time, researchers estimate over 100,000 children died directly from severe acute malnutrition in 2024, with many more at higher risk of infection due to undernutrition. An additional 2.1 million aged 5 to 24 also died last year.
"No child should die from diseases that we know how to prevent," said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF. Limited funding and political will are hindering access to proven, low-cost interventions.
Treatments for pneumonia, malaria, and neonatal infections exist but face supply disruptions and weak local manufacturing, especially in rural and conflict zones. In November 2025, Gavi and UNICEF secured an equitable pricing deal for the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, aiming to deliver 30 million doses for nearly 7 million children.
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that while science offers solutions, global commitment must catch up.