The BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Supplement, "Stillbirths – the global picture and evidence-based solutions" Provides a detailed assessment of the 3.2 million stillbirths that occur worldwide each year, which are largely absent from global data tracking, policy dialogue and programmes. Stillbirths are a major burden in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries, but have received low priority in both settings. However, stillbirth rates are particularly high and attention is most lacking in policy and programmes in low-income countries. This supplement contains six papers [I-6] and one commentary that provide an in-depth analysis of the burden and evidence base for interventions to avert stillbirths. Lead investigators from Aga Khan University (Karachi, Pakistan), supported by colleagues from Johns HOpkins University (Baltimore, USA) and Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children (Cape Town, South Africa), reviewed the evidence for impact of interventions to prevent stillbirths and strategies for delivering effective interventions in low-and middle-income settings.