What are the leading causes of newborn mortality?
While major strides have been made in reducing under-5 mortality rates, there has been slower progress in reducing newborn deaths. For example, in 1990 neonatal deaths represented 40 percent of global under-5 deaths, compared with 47 percent in 2020. In 2015, of the estimated 5.9 million under-5 deaths, almost 1 million occurred in the first day and nearly 2 million during the first week. Also, an estimated 2 million babies are stillborn each year. The majority of these deaths and stillbirths occur in low-resource settings, and most are preventable with proven and effective interventions.