WHO: 4.9 million children under five died in 2024 — what the new numbers mean for parents this week

The most useful infant-health story this week is not another product launch. On 23 September 2026 the World Health Organization refreshed its under-five mortality fact sheet with 2024 estimates: about 4.9 million children died before age five — one death every six seconds.

Almost half of those deaths (2.3 million) happened in the first 28 days of life.

Background

Under-five deaths have fallen sharply since 2000, when the figure was more than 10 million. The 2024 rate is 37.4 deaths per 1,000 live births — less than half the 2000 level. Progress has slowed since 2015.

The burden is not evenly shared. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about 2.8 million of the 2024 deaths. Southern Asia accounted for about 1.2 million. The leading causes remain preterm-birth complications, events around delivery, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria.

What changed

1. Neonatal deaths are now 47% of all under-five deaths.
2. A child in sub-Saharan Africa faces an under-five mortality rate of 71.6 per 1,000 live births — nearly 14 times the rate in Europe and Northern America.
3. If trends do not improve, more than 27 million children are projected to die before age five between 2025 and 2030.

WHO also restated infant-feeding guidance: exclusive breastfeeding for six months, then continued breastfeeding with complementary foods to two years or beyond.

What parents can do

• Ask who will be present for the first hour after birth and what the hospital does for skin-to-skin and breathing support.
• Keep newborn follow-up visits and know fever and poor-feeding red flags.
• Avoid infant walkers and uncertified loungers still circulating on marketplaces this month.

Sources: WHO under-five mortality fact sheet (23 September 2026); WHO infant and young child feeding fact sheet; BMJ commentary on stalled child-survival progress.