Child mortality continues to drop

“It is heartening to see that the fight against child mortality is producing results. But we must intensify our efforts if we are to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4, which is to reduce by two-thirds the number of children who die before the age of five by 2015,” said Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

• UNICEF's press release
• More information on the Millennium Development Goals

Today UNICEF published a report showing that child mortality continued to drop in 2008. Child mortality has declined by 28% since 1990. This means that around 8.8 children under the age of five died in 2008, down from 12.5 million in 1990. The report also shows that the rate of decline has been faster in the 2000s than it was in the 1990s, and that progress is being made throughout the world, even in the least developed countries.

“The main reason that nearly five million more children reach adulthood today than in 1990 is the huge efforts to vaccinate children and protect them against malaria by means of mosquito nets. However, if we are to achieve MDGs 4 and 5, these efforts must be intensified, particularly with regard to making it possible for women to deliver in safety. This will only be possible if women’s position in society is improved,” he added.

Norway has taken on a particular responsibility for improving child and maternal health.