Reducing child mortality to achieve MDG 4: Overall, substantial progress has been made towards achieving MDG 4. The number of under-five deaths worldwide has declined from 12.7 (12.6, 13.0) million in 1990 to 5.9 (5.7, 6.4) million in 2015. This translates into 19 000 fewer children dying every day in 2015 than in 1990. The remarkable decline in under-five mortality since 2000 has saved the lives of 48 million children under age five – children who would not have survived to see their fifth birthday if the under-five mortality rate from 2000 onward remained at the same level as in 2000. Yet, despite these substantial gains, progress is insufficient to achieve the MDG 4 target.
fact buffet
Mortality
5.9 millionchildren under age five died in 2015,
nearly 16 000 every day
Causes of death
83%of deaths in children under age five are caused by infectious, neonatal or nutritional conditions
Causes of under-five mortalityPreventing under-five deaths
58%of children with suspected pneumonia are taken for treatment to an appropriate care provider
Care seeking for pneumoniaThe Global Health Observatory theme pages provide data and analyses on global health priorities. Each theme page provides information on global situation and trends highlights, using core indicators, database views, major publications and links to relevant web pages on the theme.