7,000 newborn babies die every day.
These children are not dying because we don’t have the tools to save them. More than 80 per cent of all newborn deaths are caused by preventable and treatable conditions, including complications due to prematurity or during delivery, and infections like sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia.
No parents should experience the heartbreak of watching their child suffer or die. By making sure every mother and baby has access to affordable, quality care, we can save newborn lives.
Help save newborn lives
We can end preventable newborn and child deaths in our lifetime – but we need more than a single drug or intervention. We need governments, health-care workers, communities and families to come together to provide affordable, quality health care for every mother and baby, starting with the most vulnerable.
UNICEF is calling for universal health coverage, starting with four main pillars:
Functional health facilities, with electricity and clean water
Midwives and other health workers equipped with training and tools
Life-saving drugs and equipment
Adolescent girls, women and families empowered to demand and receive quality care
Newborn mortality rate
UNICEF impact
UNICEF helps save newborn lives by connecting women and babies with vital resources like skilled birth attendants and pre- and postnatal care. See the impact of our work through the children we’ve helped along the way:
Learn more
Get the latest research and data on child and newborn mortality from UNICEF and our partners:
Take Action
We believe that a future where every child is born to thrive is not only possible, but necessary. Together with you, we will work to make this a reality.
We believe that a future where every child is born to thrive is not only possible, but necessary. Together with you, we will work to make this a reality.