The number of children dying before reaching the age of five has reached a historic low, falling to 4.9 million in 2022, the United Nations IGME said in a report on Wednesday.
The UN revealed that since 2000, the global under-five mortality rate (U5MR) has declined by more than half.
"This notable achievement has been driven largely by sustained commitment on the part of governments, organizations, local communities, health care professionals and families," the IGME explained.
The report showed that some low- and middle-income countries have managed to reduce their under-five mortality rates by more than the global average of 51% between 2000 and 2022. The UN cited African countries such as Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Angola, Morocco, Senegal, Burundi and Tanzania as examples of countries where the rate fell by more than 75%.
"These examples of substantial reduction in child mortality in just over two decades show that progress is possible in a variety of country income settings," the report said.
Among the non-African countries that achieved a similar figure, the UN singled out North Korea, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Bhutan, India and Nicaragua.
The UN warned that despite this progress, there is still a long way to go to end all preventable deaths of children and adolescents. The report said that in addition to the 4.9 million lives lost under the age of 5 in 2022, an additional 2.1 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 24 will have their lives cut short, with most deaths concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
IGME called for improved access to quality health services, investment in training, jobs and decent working conditions for primary health care providers.
"These effective measures must become available to every child in every country and every community, rooted in a synergistic approach delivered through primary health care provided across the life-course," the UN said.
The agency added that if interventions are backed by political commitment, sustained funding and regular monitoring, the annual number of under-five deaths could be reduced to near zero.