Comment Paper -Hard truths about under-5 mortality: call for urgent global action

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Abstract: Since 2000, the global rate of mortality in children younger than 5 years (hereafter referred to as under-5 mortality) has decreased by over 50%, down from 76 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 2000 to 37 per 1000 livebirths in 2022, based on new estimates by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME; a consortium of UNICEF, WHO, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Group). The annual number of children dying before the age of 5 years is lower than ever recorded, decreasing to 4·9 million (90% uncertainty interval 4·6–5·4 million) in 2022 from 9·9 million (9·8–10·1 million) in 2000. These encouraging shifts have been observed across economic settings, including in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

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Read the Levels & Trends in Child Mortality: Report 2023 here.


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