Millions of Children Died from Preventable Causes in 2024, UN Report Reveals
A new United Nations report has issued a stark warning that millions of children are dying from preventable causes worldwide, with aid cuts significantly slowing progress toward global survival targets. The report highlights that most of the 4.9 million children who died in 2024 could have been saved through existing medical interventions and better healthcare infrastructure.
Progress Slows by 60% Since 2015
The report found that progress toward ending preventable deaths of children under five by 2030 has slowed by 60% since 2015. This alarming trend has prompted UN experts to urgently call for sustained investment in health systems to reach the established target. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia continue to have the worst rates of child mortality, largely due to newborn deaths which accounted for almost half of all under-five fatalities.
Leading Causes of Child Mortality
The most common causes of death identified in the report include:
- Premature birth complications
- Pneumonia
- Birth trauma
- Infectious diseases, particularly malaria
Malaria alone was responsible for 17% of deaths among children who survived beyond their first month of life. The report also noted that 100,000 children died directly from severe acute malnutrition, with the highest numbers occurring in Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan. Severe malnutrition was additionally identified as an underlying cause for many children who died from other conditions.
Aid Cuts Threaten Lifesaving Facilities
Humanitarian workers emphasized that all these causes of death could be prevented with better investment in health systems and vaccination programs. However, aid cuts are now threatening to close critical facilities that provide lifesaving services. According to monitoring by Global Health Cluster, 6,600 health facilities were affected by last year's aid cuts, with one-third forced to close completely.
"We are not moving far enough or fast enough and leaving 5 million children under the age of five vulnerable," said Abdurahman Sharif, senior humanitarian affairs director at Save the Children. "Aid cuts are leading to increasing preventable deaths, threatening the continuity of lifesaving services at a time when needs are increasing. It's reversing decades of progress."
Compounding Challenges: Conflict and Climate Crisis
Danzhen You, chief of demographics and health at UNICEF, explained that progress in reducing child deaths had already been slowing due to insufficient funding for healthcare systems and newborn care. This trend is now being compounded by the effects of conflict and the climate crisis.
"The cuts we are now seeing are coming on top of that trend, adding further pressure to already stretched systems," said You. "In some places, this is affecting routine immunization, malaria prevention, nutrition services, and care around birth. The direction is clear: when funding is reduced, services are disrupted, and children's lives are put at greater risk. Without sustained investment, progress is likely to slow further, and in some settings we could see gains begin to reverse."
UNICEF Director Calls for Action
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating: "No child should die from diseases that we know how to prevent. But we see worrying signs that progress in child survival is slowing – and at a time where we're seeing further global budget cuts." The report underscores the critical need for renewed commitment and funding to protect vulnerable children worldwide and achieve global health targets.
