Child health and nutrition statistics & facts

Child health and nutrition in numbers

The health and nutrition of children has improved dramatically over the past three decades, but progress has slowed and huge gaps remain. According to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, less than half the 10.1 million of 2000 and far below the 13.0 million of 1990. Yet the pace of decline has slowed by 60 percent since 2015, and 58 percent of all under-five deaths now occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malnutrition remains one of the biggest threats to children. The joint estimates of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank show that 150.2 million children under five, or 23.2 percent, were stunted in 2024, 42.8 million were wasted and 35.5 million were overweight. At the same time, the world has passed a turning point: in 2025, for the first time, more school-age children and adolescents were obese, 9.4 percent, than underweight, 9.2 percent, according to UNICEF. This report sets out the latest data on child survival, undernutrition, obesity, diets, immunisation and the key risks for children.

Child mortality: 4.9 million deaths a year

Under-five deaths have fallen by more than 60 percent since 1990. The UN IGME estimates that 13.0 million children under five died in 1990, 10.1 million in 2000, 7.1 million in 2010 and 6.1 million in 2015. In 2024, the number was 4.9 million. The under-five mortality rate fell from 93.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 76.7 in 2000, 42.9 in 2015 and 37.4 in 2024.

Down by nearly two thirds: under-five deaths fell from 13.0 million in 1990 to 4.9 million in 2024, but progress has slowed since 2015.

Newborns account for a growing share of deaths. Of the 4.9 million under-five deaths in 2024, 2.3 million, or 47 percent, were babies in their first month of life. The global neonatal mortality rate was 17.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. A further 2.1 million children, adolescents and young people aged 5 to 24 also died in 2024. In the first month of life, complications of preterm birth caused 36 percent of deaths and complications during labour and delivery 21 percent; after the first month, malaria was the largest single killer, at 17 percent of deaths.

Child mortality by region

Where a child is born still decides their chance of survival. In 2024, the under-five mortality rate was 71.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in sub-Saharan Africa, almost 14 times the rate of 5.2 in Europe and Northern America and nearly 19 times the 3.8 in Australia and New Zealand. Central and Southern Asia had a rate of 32.0, Northern Africa and Western Asia 26.1 and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia 13.0.

A 19-fold gap: a child born in sub-Saharan Africa faced an under-five mortality rate of 71.6 per 1,000 in 2024, against 3.8 in Australia and New Zealand.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 58 percent of all under-five deaths in 2024 and Southern Asia for 25 percent, meaning these two regions together account for more than four in five deaths. Only three countries had an under-five mortality rate above 100 per 1,000 live births: Niger, Nigeria and Somalia. Children living in fragile and conflict-affected settings are nearly three times more likely to die before age five than children elsewhere. On current trends, 60 countries, home to 42 percent of all children under five worldwide, will miss the 2030 target for under-five mortality, and 66 countries will miss the target for newborn deaths.

Malnutrition in children under five

Malnutrition in children takes several forms. Stunting, meaning being too short for age, reflects chronic undernutrition and affects brain development and future earnings. Wasting, meaning being too thin for height, is a sign of acute undernutrition and is the most immediate threat to life. Overweight is the opposite problem, and is rising in many countries. The UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) for 2025 found that in 2024, 150.2 million children under five were stunted, 42.8 million were wasted, including 12.2 million severely wasted, and 35.5 million were overweight.

Stunting dominates: 150.2 million children under five were stunted in 2024, more than three times the 42.8 million who were wasted.

Progress has been slow. Stunting prevalence fell from 26.4 percent in 2012 to 23.2 percent in 2024, and the number of stunted children has been stuck at about 150 million since 2021. Wasting fell from 7.4 percent, or 50.9 million children, in 2012 to 6.6 percent in 2024. Overweight has not improved at all, edging up from 5.3 percent to 5.5 percent. Boys are more affected than girls: 24.4 percent of boys were stunted in 2024 against 21.9 percent of girls, and 5.8 percent of boys were overweight against 5.1 percent of girls.

Slow progress on undernutrition, none on overweight: stunting fell from 26.4 to 23.2 percent between 2012 and 2024, while overweight rose from 5.3 to 5.5 percent.

Undernutrition is concentrated in two regions. Asia is home to 51 percent of stunted children and Africa to 43 percent. Three quarters of severely wasted children live in Asia and 22 percent in Africa. Wasting prevalence was highest in Central and Southern Asia, at 13.0 percent in 2024, and in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, at 8.4 percent. Only about a quarter of countries are on track to meet the 2030 target on stunting, and just 1 in 6 on overweight.

Anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies

Hidden hunger, a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, affects even more children than stunting. The WHO estimates that 40 percent of children aged 6 to 59 months worldwide, or 269 million children, are anaemic, most often because of iron deficiency. The WHO African Region has about 103 million anaemic young children and the South-East Asia Region about 83 million. Anaemia in early childhood impairs brain development, learning and resistance to infection.

Mothers are affected too. The WHO estimates that 30 percent of non-pregnant women and 37 percent of pregnant women aged 15 to 49 are anaemic, and the UN reports that anaemia among women of reproductive age rose from 27.6 percent in 2012 to 30.7 percent in 2023. Maternal anaemia increases the risk of low birthweight and preterm birth, the leading causes of newborn deaths.

Diets and child food poverty

What young children eat matters as much as how much. UNICEF, in its 2024 report on child food poverty covering nearly 100 countries, found that 181 million children under five, 1 in 4, live in severe child food poverty, meaning they eat from no more than two of eight food groups. These children are up to 50 percent more likely to suffer from wasting. Four in five of them eat only breastmilk or other milk and starchy staples such as rice, maize or wheat; fewer than 10 percent eat fruits and vegetables, and fewer than 5 percent eat nutrient-rich foods such as eggs, fish, poultry or meat. Rising food prices make this worse, as covered in our report on food inflation.

South Asia and Africa bear the brunt: 64 million children in South Asia and 59 million in sub-Saharan Africa live in severe child food poverty, two thirds of the global total.

Severe child food poverty is not only a problem of poor households: 46 percent of affected children live in poor households, but 54 percent, or 97 million, live in relatively wealthier households, a sign that food environments and knowledge matter as well as income. About 65 percent of these children live in just 20 countries. In Somalia, 63 percent of young children are in severe child food poverty, and in the Gaza Strip data collected between December 2023 and April 2024 showed 9 in 10 children affected.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to protect child health, providing complete nutrition in the first six months and protection against infections. According to the Global Breastfeeding Scorecard 2025, nearly 50 percent of infants under six months worldwide are now exclusively breastfed, up 8 percentage points since 2020, and rates of continued breastfeeding at one and two years have risen by about 10 points over five years. The World Health Assembly target is 60 percent exclusive breastfeeding by 2030.

Policy gaps hold progress back. Only 17 percent of countries have legislation substantially aligned with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, only 10 percent meet International Labour Organization standards for maternity leave, and just 4 percent receive adequate donor funding for breastfeeding support per birth.

Childhood obesity: a new majority problem

While undernutrition persists, obesity is rising fast. In its Child Nutrition Report 2025, UNICEF found that among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19, obesity prevalence rose from 3 percent in 2000 to 9.4 percent in 2025, while underweight fell from 13 percent to 9.2 percent. For the first time, more young people are obese than underweight: about 188 million school-age children and adolescents live with obesity. Obesity now exceeds underweight in every region except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

A historic crossover: obesity among 5 to 19 year olds tripled from 3 percent in 2000 to 9.4 percent in 2025, overtaking underweight at 9.2 percent.

The highest rates are found in the Pacific islands, where obesity has doubled since 2000: 38 percent of children and adolescents in Niue, 37 percent in the Cook Islands and 33 percent in Nauru are obese. Among larger countries, rates are 27 percent in Chile and 21 percent in both the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Pacific islands lead the world: 38 percent of children and adolescents in Niue are obese, and more than 1 in 5 in Chile, the United States and the UAE.

Marketing of unhealthy food is a major driver. In a UNICEF poll of 64,000 young people in more than 170 countries, 75 percent recalled seeing advertisements for sugary drinks, snacks or fast food in the previous week, and 60 percent said the ads made them want to eat those products. Even in conflict-affected countries, 68 percent had seen such marketing. UNICEF warns that the global economic cost of overweight and obesity could exceed 4 trillion dollars a year by 2035.

Child obesity in the United States

In the United States, about 1 in 5 children and adolescents aged 2 to 19, or 14.7 million young people, have obesity, a prevalence of 19.7 percent in 2017 to March 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rates rise with age, from 12.7 percent among 2 to 5 year olds to 20.7 percent at ages 6 to 11 and 22.2 percent at 12 to 19. Hispanic children, at 26.2 percent, and non-Hispanic Black children, at 24.8 percent, have higher rates than non-Hispanic white children, at 16.6 percent, and non-Hispanic Asian children, at 9.0 percent. Adult risk factors are covered in our report on health risk factors in the US.

Poverty and obesity go together: 25.8 percent of US children in families at or below 130 percent of the poverty level have obesity, more than double the 11.5 percent in the highest-income group.

Childhood obesity in the US is closely linked to income: prevalence is 25.8 percent among children in families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, 21.2 percent between 130 and 350 percent, and 11.5 percent above 350 percent. Among girls, non-Hispanic Black girls have the highest prevalence, at 30.8 percent, and among boys, Hispanic boys, at 29.3 percent. Annual medical costs of childhood obesity were estimated at 1.3 billion dollars in 2019 dollars, with children who have obesity incurring 116 dollars more in medical costs per year than children at a healthy weight. See our data on births in the US and the US population by age for demographic context.

Childhood immunisation

Vaccines are among the most effective tools for child survival. According to WHO and UNICEF estimates published in July 2026, 90 percent of infants worldwide, about 116 million, received a first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP1) in 2025, and 85 percent, about 110 million, completed the three-dose series (DTP3). Coverage of the first dose of measles vaccine was 84 percent and of the second dose 77 percent, both well below the 95 percent needed to prevent outbreaks.

Big gaps for newer vaccines: coverage reached 90 percent for the first DTP dose in 2025 but only 61 percent for rotavirus and 33 percent for HPV.

In 2025, 13.5 million children received no vaccines at all, so-called zero-dose children, down about 750,000 from 14.3 million in 2024. About 53 percent of them live in ten countries: Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Yemen, and more than half live in fragile or conflict-affected countries. A further 7.3 million infants started their vaccinations but did not complete them. Coverage of newer vaccines remains low: 71 percent for pneumococcal vaccine, 61 percent for rotavirus and 33 percent for the first dose of HPV vaccine among girls. The disruption caused by the pandemic, when coverage fell sharply, is covered in our report on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Progress varies sharply between regions and countries. Since 2019, coverage has improved in the Americas and in South-East Asia, which is now the best-performing WHO region, while Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe remain below their pre-pandemic levels and the Western Pacific has declined. Individual countries show how quickly coverage can change with conflict, policy and trust in vaccines.

Other risks to child health

Beyond disease and diet, many children face other threats to their health and development. Child marriage, still common in parts of Africa and South Asia, is linked to early pregnancy and higher risks for both mothers and babies, as shown in our data on the countries with the highest child marriage rates. Mental health problems often begin in childhood and adolescence, a topic covered in our report on mental health worldwide. Conflict, displacement and climate change also threaten child health by destroying health systems, disrupting food supplies and spreading disease.

The outlook for child health

The world has made extraordinary progress on child health since 1990, with under-five deaths falling from 13.0 million to 4.9 million a year. But progress has slowed sharply since 2015, and cuts to international aid in 2025 and 2026 threaten programmes for vaccines, nutrition and malaria. Undernutrition still affects 150 million young children, while obesity is rising in almost every region, creating a double burden for many countries.

The most effective solutions are well known: vaccination, breastfeeding, better diets, clean water, skilled care at birth and treatment for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Scaling them up in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where most child deaths occur, will decide whether the world meets its 2030 goals. Our data on world population shows where the next generation of children will be born.

Child health and nutrition in numbers

Frequently Asked Questions