Complications of preterm birth are the single largest cause of newborn deaths and deaths among children under the age of five years. Preterm babies who survive are more prone to serious illnesses during childhood. Global efforts to reduce newborn and child morbidity and mortality demand urgent action to address preterm birth. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for maternal and perinatal health recommendations, which prioritized updating WHO recommendations on the use of antenatal corticosteroid therapy to improve preterm birth outcomes. This decision was based on the availability of new evidence on the efficacy of antenatal corticosteroid therapy. The recommendations in this document thus supersede the antenatal corticosteroid recommendations in the WHO recommendations on interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes published in 2015.