Historic decline in infant mortality : UN report

According to the report published Wednesday by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), the number of children who died before celebrating their fifth birthday fell to 4.9 million in 2022.

A historically low level, according to the institution which also specifies that the mortality rate of children under 5 years old has decreased by 51% since 2000, particularly in low-income countries.

A decline, the result of investments made in the health sector. In Africa, the cases of Malawi and Rwanda are paradigmatic.

Despite this picture, the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation is calling for more vigilance. Preventable causes have interrupted the lives of 2.1 million children and young people aged 5 to 24, underlines its report.

Most of these deaths have been concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

If nothing is done, around 35 million children will die before reaching their fifth birthday by 2030. To reverse the trend, the working conditions of health workers must be improved.