Children worldwide are less likely to die before they reach the age of 5 than at any time in recorded history, according to new data from the United Nations.

The worldwide mortality rate for kids younger than 5 years old was slashed in half in 2022 compared to the turn of the century. Child mortality was even higher in 1990, when 13 million children under 5 died. By 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, that number hovered around 4.9 million.

The rate is currently an estimated 37 deaths per 1,000 births, the UN report released this week concluded. (The agency takes all of the relevant data available from national governments — such as vital registration systems, censuses, and household surveys — then statistically adjusts and models that data to arrive at its worldwide and regional child mortality estimates.)

The UN’s researchers credit the global decline to more skilled medical personnel being present at births, increased investment in postnatal care, and more aggressive public health campaigns, including vaccinations.

In recent years, many developing countries have also strengthened local health systems that can better diagnose and treat serious health conditions, on top of multilateral humanitarian initiatives that have reduced hunger and malnutrition over the long term.

Some countries have made particularly remarkable progress: Malawi, Rwanda, and Mongolia have seen some of the largest declines in child deaths, with their under-5 mortality rate dropping by 75 percent since 2000. Among the world’s least-developed countries, as defined by the UN, the mortality rate among kids under 5 has plummeted from 175 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to fewer than 60 in 2022.

But enormous disparities remain between rich and poor countries. The UN report warns that the progress of the past three decades is slowing and could begin to backslide, a bleak possibility given the recent uptick in global hunger after decades of improvement.

As with hunger, living in politically fragile and conflict-ridden countries increases the risk of life-threatening health problems among young children. Nations considered by the World Bank to be in fragile and conflict-affected situations experienced 73 deaths per 1,000 live births among kids under 5. That’s nearly three times the rate in all other countries.

Read the full article about child mortality by Dylan Scott at Vox.