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India’s progress in reducing child mortality

20 Mar 2026 GS 1 Social Issues
India’s progress in reducing child mortality Click to view full image

Key global findings (UNIGME 2025 Report)

  • 4.9 million under-5 deaths (2024)

    • Includes 2.3 million newborn deaths

  • Since 2000:

    • Under-5 mortality ↓ by more than 50%

  • But since 2015:

    • Rate of reduction slowed by >60%

  • Additional findings:

    • 2.1 million deaths (age 5–24)

    • Sub-Saharan Africa → 58% of global under-5 deaths

    • Malnutrition → direct cause in ~5% cases (~1 lakh deaths)

India’s performance

1. Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR)

  • 1990: 127 per 1,000 live births

  • 2024: 27 per 1,000 live births

2. Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR)

  • 1990: 57 per 1,000 live births

  • 2024: 17 per 1,000 live births

  • India has achieved sharp and sustained decline

  • Plays a major role in South Asia’s improvement

Why has India improved?

Key drivers

  1. Public health interventions

    • National Health Mission (NHM)

    • Focus on maternal & child health

  2. Institutional deliveries

    • Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana

    • Reduction in home births → safer deliveries

  3. Expanded immunisation

    • Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

    • Mission Indradhanush

  4. Nutrition support

    • ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan

Causes of child mortality

Neonatal (0–28 days)

  • Preterm birth complications → 36%

  • Birth complications → 21%

Post-neonatal (1 month–5 years)

  • Infectious diseases:

    • Malaria (largest single killer – 17%)

    • Pneumonia

    • Diarrhoea

Adolescents (15–19 years)

  • Girls → Self-harm

  • Boys → Road traffic injuries

Malnutrition – hidden crisis

  • Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM):

    • Direct deaths: ~1 lakh (5%)

    • Actual burden underestimated

Key insight:

  • Malnutrition is often an underlying cause, not recorded directly

  • Weakens immunity → increases risk of:

    • Pneumonia

    • Diarrhoea

    • Malaria

Major concerns globally

  1. Slowing progress post-2015

    • Linked to:

      • Inequality

      • Conflict zones

      • Weak health systems

  2. Regional disparity

    • Sub-Saharan Africa most affected

  3. Preventable deaths

    • Majority could be avoided via:

      • Vaccination

      • Nutrition

      • Primary healthcare

About UN IGME

The United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation or UN IGME was formed in 2004 to share data on child mortality, improve methods for child mortality estimation, report on progress towards child survival goals and enhance the capacity of countries to produce timely and properly evaluated estimates of child mortality.

UN IGME is led by UNICEF and includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Prelims Practice MCQ

Q. With reference to child mortality trends, consider the following statements:

  1. Neonatal deaths account for nearly half of under-5 mortality.

  2. Malaria is the leading cause of death among newborns.

  3. Severe acute malnutrition is often underreported as a cause of death.

Which of the statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1 only

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

  • Statement 1: Correct

  • Statement 2: Incorrect (malaria affects post-neonatal children, not newborns)

  • Statement 3: Correct

Mains Practice question

“Despite significant reductions in child mortality, global progress has slowed in recent years. Examine the factors responsible and evaluate India’s performance in this context.”



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