Health · Health & Mortality
Child deaths under five
Children who do not reach their fifth birthday
4,900,000
This year · 2024
What this number is
Deaths of children before their fifth birthday.
Includes an estimated 2.3 million newborn deaths. One of the most closely tracked health indicators, though still estimated in many countries.
Why it matters
Child mortality is the most sensitive measure of whether a health system works.
How it is produced
Survey and registration data modelled by inter-agency estimation.
Plato's Cave classifies this figure as MODELLED. Modelled figures are outputs of assumptions. Change the assumptions and the number moves, even when the world does not.
How to read it carefully
Only one credible source currently supports this figure. It is reported here as a single-source claim, not a settled fact.
Reference period: 2024. Last checked: Sep 8, 2026.
Plato's Cave commentary
Health statistics are usually strongest where health systems are strongest, which means the places with the worst outcomes are the places counted least well.
Treat this figure as a floor. Undercounting almost always runs in the same direction.