‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ Report, 2025
iasparliament
March 19, 2026
Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Reports & Indices
Why in News?
The report titled ‘Levels and Trends in Child Mortality’ for 2025 was released recently.
Released by – United Nations Inter‑agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME),
Collaboration – Led by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division).
Also known as– The United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), Report 2025.
Key Findings
Global trend
Global Child Mortality– An estimated 4.9 million deaths in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns (nearly 50% of all under-five deaths)
Children & youth– An estimated 2.1 million children, adolescents and youth aged five-24 years died in 2024.
Trend– Under-five deaths globally have fallen by more than half since 2000; however, since 2015, the pace of reduction in child mortality has slowed by more than 60%.
Regional burden– In 2024, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 58% of all under-five deaths.
Leading Causes of Death
Newborns – Complications from preterm birth (36%), and complications during labour and delivery (21%), infections, including neonatal sepsis and congenital anomalies.
Children (1–59 months)– Pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria (the single largest killer) and malnutrition (Estimated directly for the first time).
Malaria trend – It declined between 2000 and 2015, but progress slowed in recent years.
Malnutrition – It found more than 1,00,000 children aged 1-59 months or 5% died from it in 2024, it weakens children’s immunity and increases their risk of dying from common childhood diseases.
Countries with the highest direct malnutrition deaths are Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan.
Under 5 Mortality Rate– Witnessed a sharp fall — from 92 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to nearly 32 in 2024, reflecting sustained progress in child health outcomes.
Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR)– Recorded a decline from 1990, in 1990, India had an NMR of 57 per 1,000 live, which fell to 17 in 2024.
Regional role– India has played a pivotal role in reducing child mortality in the South Asia region, which has witnessed a 76% decline in under-five deaths since 1990 and 68% decline since 2000.
Key drivers of success
Targeted public health interventions for preventable conditions such as Pneumonia, Diarrhoea, Malaria, etc.
Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP),
Facility-based newborn care,
Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI).
