For the First Time this Century, Child Deaths Under Age 5 Will Likely Rise

New analysis warns that global progress in reducing deaths among children under five may reverse in 2025 as major cuts to health foreign aid limit access to vaccines, treatments, and basic services. Child mortality fell by half between 2000 and 2020, but disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic slowed gains, and analysts now project an increase of more than 200,000 deaths next year.

Researchers attribute much of this shift to a drop in global health aid from about $49 billion to $36 billion, with low-income and Sub-Saharan African countries expected to feel the greatest impact. The findings underscore how sustained investment and emerging health innovations can directly translate into lives saved and equity restored. Read more from NPR here.