Child Mortality Progress Stalls: 4.9 Million Children Died Before Age Five in 2024, WHO Reports

Nearly 5 Million Children Died Before Age Five in 2024 as Progress Slows Dramatically

An estimated 4.9 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new estimates released by the World Health Organization and partners. Most of these deaths were preventable with proven, low-cost interventions and access to quality health care, according to the report.

While under-five deaths globally have fallen by more than half since 2000, the pace of that reduction has slowed dramatically. Since 2015, the rate of decline in child mortality has slowed by more than 60 percent, according to the report titled Levels & Trends in Child Mortality, as cited by WHO.

Malnutrition's Deadly Toll Quantified for the First Time

For the first time, the report estimates deaths directly caused by severe acute malnutrition (SAM), finding that more than 100,000 children aged 1–59 months — approximately 5 percent of deaths in that age group — died from it in 2024. The actual burden is likely substantially higher, as malnutrition weakens children's immunity and increases their vulnerability to common childhood diseases, and mortality data frequently fail to capture SAM as an underlying cause of death. Countries with the highest numbers of direct deaths from SAM include Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan, according to the WHO report.

Newborn Deaths and Infectious Diseases Remain Central Challenges

Newborn deaths account for nearly half of all under-five deaths, reflecting slower progress in preventing deaths around the time of birth. The leading causes among newborns were complications from preterm birth (36 percent) and complications during labor and delivery (21 percent). Infections, including neonatal sepsis, and congenital anomalies were also significant contributors.

Beyond the first month of life, infectious diseases including malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia were major killers. Malaria remained the single largest cause of death among children aged 1–59 months, responsible for 17 percent of deaths in that age group, with most occurring in endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa. After steep declines between 2000 and 2015, progress in reducing malaria mortality has slowed in recent years, with deaths concentrated in countries such as Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, and Nigeria — where conflict, climate shocks, invasive mosquitoes, and drug resistance continue to hamper prevention and treatment efforts.

Stark Geographic Disparities

Child deaths remain heavily concentrated in a small number of regions. In 2024, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 58 percent of all under-five deaths, with leading infectious diseases responsible for 54 percent of deaths in the region. Southern Asia accounted for 25 percent of all under-five deaths, driven largely by complications in the first month of life.

By contrast, in Europe and Northern America, infectious diseases accounted for just 9 percent of under-five deaths, and in Australia and New Zealand, only 6 percent. These disparities, according to the WHO report, reflect deeply unequal access to proven, life-saving interventions.

A Critical Moment for Global Health

The findings arrive amid broader concerns about global health funding. As noted in a separate WHO release on tuberculosis, cuts in global health funding are threatening to reverse gains made against infectious diseases. The child mortality data underscore the urgency of sustaining investment in basic health services, nutrition programs, and disease prevention — particularly in the world's most vulnerable regions.

Note: This article is based on publicly available WHO source material. Despite the significance of these findings, no major mainstream outlets in the monitored period covered this report in detail.