Is neonatal mortality falling?
As of 2024, neonatal mortality (first 28 days) is 17 per 1,000: −53% since 1990.
Why it changed
Two things are true at once: skilled birth attendance, basic antiseptics, and newborn care made the first weeks of life far safer — the global rate fell from 37 to 17 per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2024. And progress here trails older children: neonatal deaths now make up 47% of all under-5 deaths, meaning 2.3 million newborns still die in their first month every year.
Source · UN IGME (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group/UN DESA), via Our World in Data CC-BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); underlying data: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) Last reviewed 2026-07-07
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What is the source for this number?
UN IGME (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group/UN DESA), via Our World in Data. Last reviewed 2026-07-07 — CC-BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); underlying data: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).
How has this changed since 1990?
−53% since 1990. As of 2024, neonatal mortality (first 28 days) stands at 17 per 1,000.
What still isn’t solved?
Progress here trails older children: neonatal deaths now make up 47% of all under-5 deaths, meaning 2.3 million newborns still die in their first month every year.