MDG 4: Reduce Infant Mortality

The Goal: Reduce Infant Mortality

What Do We Want to Achieve?

  • Reduce by two-thirds, the under-five mortality rate

What Have We Already Achieved?

  • Five in nine developing regions have reduced the under-five mortality rate by 50%
  • In 20 years, the number of deaths in children under the age of 5, has decreased from 12.4 million to 7.6 million per year
  • The number of deaths from measles worldwide has decreased by 74%

What Challenges Remain?

  • Confronting preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria is key to reducing infant mortality
  • Providing education to mothers is also fundamental in decreasing infant deaths