Millions of children dying from preventable causes - report

Progress towards ending the preventable deaths of children under five by 2030 has slowed 60% since 2015, says UN report

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have persistently had the worst rates of child death, in large part due to deaths of newborns, who made up almost half of the total number of children who died under five. File picture: AP

Most of the 4.9m children who died in 2024 could have been saved, according to a new UN report that warns aid cuts could thwart the global goal of ending preventable child deaths.

Progress towards ending the preventable deaths of children under five by 2030 has slowed 60% since 2015, the report found, leading to UN experts to call for sustained investment in health systems to reach the target.