Saving Children's Lives: Why equity matters
This report explains why millions of children under five still die every year, and proposes policies that would help save millions of lives.
- Published
- February 2008
Globally, nearly 10 million children die before the age of five each year.
Nearly 4 million of these children die within their first 28 days. Three million babies live less than a week, including up to 2 million who die on their first day of life.
Nearly all child deaths — 99% — occur in developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for around 4.8 million of all child deaths, while around 3.1 million are in South Asia.
The latest available figures show the average child mortality rate (child deaths per 1,000 live births) is 160 per 1,000 in sub-Saharan Africa and 83 per 1,000 in South Asia.
That compares with 6 per 1,000 in the UK.
The new wealth and survival index in this report shows what can be done when governments tackle the direct and underlying causes of child deaths.
A huge amount is known about how to save children's lives.
The moral imperative for developing countries and donor governments is to translate this knowledge into decisive action.
Download Saving Children's Lives (PDF 428KB)
