The Child Survival Dividend
How saving children's lives generates compounding returns for economic prosperity, global security and our shared humanity
Highlights
Over the past two decades, sustained investment in immunization, nutrition, health systems and water, sanitation and hygiene drove one of humanity's greatest development achievements: annual under-five deaths fell from 10.1 million to 4.9 million. Aid cuts, rising debt burdens, inadequate domestic budgets and political headwinds are now dismantling the very systems that delivered those gains. This brief makes the economic, security and moral case for protecting them, showing how the returns compound over time: stronger economies, reduced security risks and greater resilience against future threats. Together, this evidence shows why investing in child survival is one of the highest-return decisions available to any society.
The Child Survival Dividend also speaks directly to the next phase of UNICEF's programmatic work. Building on the child survival targets in the Strategic Plan, and on the high return on investment this analysis demonstrates, UNICEF is working with countries and partners to sharpen a programme that accelerates achievement of global targets on ending preventable deaths among children. That programme will provide guidance on proven solutions and serve as the operational framework for delivering against the Strategic Plan.
