State of the World’s Mothers: The Urban Disadvantage

Increasing numbers of mothers are raising their children in urban areas. Over half the world’s population now lives in cities and a growing proportion of child deaths occur in these areas.¹ While cities are home to the wealthiest and healthiest people in a country, they are also home to some of the poorest and most marginalized families on earth. In much of the world,

This report presents a first-ever global assessment of health disparities between rich and poor in cities. It analyzes data for dozens of cities in developing countries and 25 cities in industrialized countries to see where child health and survival gaps are largest and where they are smallest. It also looks at progress over time to see where gaps have narrowed and where they have grown wider. While preventable deaths of young children are tragic, unacceptable and reason enough to focus more attention on health care for the most vulnerable, it is important to note that child mortality rates are also an important indicator of the overall health of a city. The young children dying in city slums today – even where lifesaving care may be a stone’s throw away – represent perhaps the saddest expression of urban health system failure, and they also represent the everyday misery faced by millions of others. While there

Key Findings

1. While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities.
2. The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death
3. The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of lifesaving health care.
4. High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination
5. We know what works to save poor urban children.
6. Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest infant death risk and great inequality

In Washington, DC top health experts discussed recent efforts underway to reduce infant mortality rates in the city’s low-income neighborhoods. The event marked the release of Save the Children’s new State of the World’s Mothers report, which includes the results of an international survey of infant mortality rates in 25 capital cities of wealthy countries worldwide, including Washington, D.C.