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One of the often-overlooked successes of the modern era is the light-speed innovation in healthcare, easily seen in improvements in life expectancy.
The drop in infant mortality is another example. In 1990, more than 12 million preventable child deaths occurred. Three decades later, that number has more than halved. Nevertheless, despite gains, there are still challenges left to overcome.
We visualize leading causes of death in 2022 for children under the age of five according to a UNICEF report, published March 2024.
Ranked: The Causes of Death for Children Under Five
Globally, 4.9 million children under the age of five died in 2022.
Rank Cause % of Global Under-Five
Deaths in 2022
1 Prematurity 18%
2 Pneumonia 14%
3 Birth Asphyxia 12%
4 Malaria 9%
5 Diarrhea 9%
6 Congenital Anomalies 8%
7 Injuries 5%
8 Sepsis 3%
9 Tuberculosis 3%
N/A Other 19%
Figures are rounded.
Nearly one-in-five of all deaths occurred because the baby was born too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy were completed.
However there’s a huge caveat to this particular cause of death.
In low income countries, where health infrastructure is suboptimal, half of the babies born two months early do not survive. For the same preterm babies in high income countries, nearly all survive. This indicates how much neonatal support (access to warmth, breastfeeding, and basic infections care) can reduce infant mortality.
Pneumonia is another significant cause of under-five deaths. It’s an acute respiratory infection, and is extremely contagious: through air, fluids, and contaminated surfaces. Exposure to air pollution significantly increases the risk of developing pneumonia.
However, pneumonia caused by bacteria is also extremely treatable through low-cost antibiotics, and preventable through the pneumococcal (PCV) vaccine.
Put together, preterm births and pneumonia cause nearly one-in-three preventable child deaths.
