Five million children under five years old died in 2021. Of these, nearly half occurred within the first month – a time of high vulnerability. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest death rate in the world: 27 in 1,000 newborn babies (1,067,000). This is 11 times higher than in countries with the lowest rates (2 deaths in 1,000), such as Australia and New Zealand.
Over the past decades, newborn mortality has been markedly lower in urban compared to rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa. This “urban advantage” has been linked to better socioeconomic and living conditions, higher literacy among women and better access to healthcare services.
