A higher percentage of children worldwide are living beyond their fifth birthdays as childhood mortality rates hit a record low in 2022, according to a joint report published by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.
"The new estimates show that strengthening access to high-quality healthcare, especially around the time of birth, helps to reduce mortality among children under age 5," Li Junhua, the United Nations under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, said in a March 13 joint news release from the U.N. and the World Health Organization.
Despite the progress, nearly 5 million children died before reaching age 5 in 2022, according to the data, and pervasive inequities that threaten child health continue to exist, ranging from a lack of access to healthcare to economic instability, climate change and military conflicts, the report said.
Even with gains made toward improving these realities, the WHO and the UN estimate 35 million children will die before they are 5 years old by 2030, and that 59 countries will fall short of their targets on reducing mortality rates before children reach age 5.
"While the milestones in the reduction of child mortality are important to track progress, they should also remind us that further efforts and investments are needed to reduce inequities and end preventable deaths among newborns, children and youth worldwide," Mr. Junhua said in the release.