The UN sounds the alarm over child mortality: Ukraine is on the list of countries of concern

This has been reported by the UN press service.

A new analysis by UN agencies assessing mortality among children, adolescents and young people states that progress in reducing child mortality worldwide has been slow and uneven. According to data for 2024, nearly 7 million people died before reaching the age of 25, of whom 4.9 million were children who died before reaching the age of 5.

The UN notes that since 2000, mortality among children under the age of five has more than halved globally. However, since 2015, the rate of this decline has fallen by more than 60%, and it is this that is now causing the greatest concern.

Analysts have also concluded that nearly three out of every four child deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Furthermore, nearly half of all deaths among children under five in 2024 occurred in unstable and conflict-affected settings.

The study specifically highlights that children living in countries or territories affected by instability and the consequences of conflict are three times more likely to die before the age of five than their peers in other countries. This year, this category included, in particular, Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

The report also states that globally, more boys die than girls, and the decline in mortality among men is slower than among women, particularly at a young age. In particular, mortality among men aged 20 to 24 has fallen by only 26%, whereas among women of the same age, it has fallen by 43%.

The report’s authors emphasise that further reductions in child mortality are impossible without renewed international commitments, stable funding and targeted interventions. The UN stresses that most of these deaths can be prevented through proven and affordable solutions and access to quality healthcare.