The Ledger · Entry 24
A newborn's first month is far less deadly than it was
Share of newborns who die within their first 28 days
Data: Our World in Data, based on the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)
The first month is the most dangerous stretch of a human life outside of extreme old age. Most newborn deaths come from prematurity, complications during birth, and infection, and they cluster in the first days. In 1990, 3.7% of the world's babies did not survive their first 28 days.
The key rows
By 2024 that share had fallen to 1.7%, as skilled birth attendance, clean delivery, newborn care, and antibiotics spread. Newborn deaths now make up a growing share of all child deaths, precisely because deaths later in childhood have fallen even faster, so this is the frontier where the next gains are hardest.
Asked often
What is the neonatal mortality rate?
It is the share of live-born babies who die within their first 28 days. Globally it fell from 3.7% in 1990 to 1.7% in 2024.
Why do newborn deaths matter more as child mortality falls?
Deaths later in childhood have fallen even faster than newborn deaths, so the first month now accounts for a larger share of all child deaths. That makes newborn care the hardest and most important frontier.
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