Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Global child survival efforts stall as an estimated 4.9 million children die before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to a new United Nations report highlighting widening gaps in preventable deaths.
The report, Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, released Wednesday in Geneva and New York, shows that although under-five deaths have fallen by more than half since 2000, progress has slowed sharply since 2015 by over 60 percent.
For the first time, the report integrates causes of death, revealing that more than 100,000 children aged one to 59 months died directly from severe acute malnutrition in 2024, with experts warning the true figure may be higher due to underreporting.
Newborn deaths account for nearly half of all under-five fatalities, largely driven by complications from preterm birth, labour-related issues, infections and congenital conditions.
Beyond infancy, infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea remain leading causes of death, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where access to healthcare remains unequal.
The burden remains heavily regional, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 58 percent of deaths and Southern Asia 25 percent. Children in conflict-affected areas are nearly three times more likely to die before age five.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warns: “No child should die from diseases we know how to prevent. But progress is slowing at a time of global budget cuts.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus adds: “We must protect essential health and nutrition services, so every child has the chance not only to survive, but to thrive.”
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Chukwu Obinna 
Korede Abdullah 