The State of the World's Children
UNICEF’s flagship report – the most comprehensive analysis of global trends affecting children.
When The State of the World’s Children first went into print in 1980, 10 per cent of the children born that year died from preventable causes. By 2018, that number had declined to just 3 per cent. Thanks to milestones such as the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, children are now on global and national policy agendas in ways that were not possible.
Each State of the World's Children (SOWC) examines a key issue affecting children. These have ranged from children with disabilities, conflict and war, child labour, urbanization, early childhood development, and much more, making it the most comprehensive analysis of global trends that impact children.
The topics and recommendations provided in the SOWC also guide UNICEF’s priorities, helping us design, calibrate and implement country programmes effectively and with an eye on the needs of the world's children.