Under-five mortality fell faster than newborn mortality in East Africa

The newborn period became a larger share of the risk

In Rwanda the neonatal rate was about 23% of the under-five rate in 2000 and 46% in 2024. These are ratios of two probabilities per live birth. They describe how the estimated risk is distributed across the overlapping age windows. Source 1 Source 3

Kenya illustrates how the pace can differ

Kenya’s under-five rate fell from 95.2 to 38.8 per 1,000, a decline of about 59%. Its neonatal rate moved from 26.3 to 20.7, a decline of about 21%. The data show the difference in pace. They give no direct measure of care quality or causes of death. Source 1 Source 3

Somalia and South Sudan had the highest 2024 rates shown

Somalia’s estimated under-five rate was 101.1 per 1,000 and South Sudan’s was 96.7. South Sudan’s neonatal rate was 39.5 and Somalia’s was 34.2. The order changes when the age window changes. Source 1 Source 3

Read precise values as estimates

The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation combines evidence from registration, census and household survey data where available. A point estimate represents a modelled probability. The comparison uses that estimate for each country. Source 2 Source 4

Sources

• World Bank under-five mortality estimates
• World Development Indicators series definition
• World Bank neonatal mortality estimates
• World Development Indicators series definition