Publishing the evidence used to track child mortality In 2026, The BMJ published the latest official estimates of child and adolescent mortality from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) 104 and causes of death from The Child and Adolescent Causes of Death Estimation (CA-CODE) group. 105 The collection supports monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, which aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 by 2030. 106 Bringing together four research papers with expert commentary, it provides a common evidence base for assessing progress across countries and identifying where health systems require greater investment and intervention. The findings show substantial reductions in child and adolescent mortality over the past 25 years, but slower progress since 2015. 107 Without accelerated action, around 60 countries are unlikely to meet the 2030 newborn and child survival targets. 108 By making these estimates widely accessible, The BMJ supports international accountability and evidence informed decisions about policies, services and resources for child survival.
Informing progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 that aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years old by the year 2030 Published the official UN estimates used to monitor progress towards SDG 3.2 Brought together four major research papers with expert commentary in a dedicated collection Highlighted slowing progress and identified countries at risk of missing the 2030 targets
The commitment, care and professionalism that The BMJ team brought to this work made a real difference.”
Danzhen You, Chief of demographics and senior adviser for statistics and monitoring, Unicef, US
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Image credit: Unicef / UNI940127 / Kongchan Phiennachit
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