Bangladesh’s child mortality drops 81.5% since 1990: WB report

Infographic: TBS

Bangladesh's child mortality rate has fallen by 81.5% since 1990, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

It was estimated that 30 years ago 146 children per 1,000 live births under the age of five died in Bangladesh. The rate has fallen dramatically to 27 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021.

Released on Tuesday, the report titled "Levels and Trends in Child Mortality" – jointly published by Unicef, World Health Organisation, United Nations and World Bank group – praised the country's remarkable achievement by any standards.  

Meanwhile, the report also said children around the world face vastly different chances of survival as the under-five mortality rate was 38 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021 globally.

Furthermore, the neonatal – defined as aged from born to exactly 28 days – mortality rate fell to 16 deaths per 1,000 in 2021 from 66 in 1990 and 44 in 2000, a reduction of 75.8% and 63.6% respectively.

Second most improved child mortality rate in S Asia

Bangladesh is the second most improved country in the South Asian region in terms of under-five mortality and neonatal mortality rate. Only Maldives fared better than the country in this region.

During the period of 1990 to 2021, Maldives reduced its under-five mortality rate by 93% and neonatal mortality rate by 90%.
The next two positions are occupied by Nepal and Bhutan with under-five mortality reduction of 80.6% and 78.7% respectively, followed by India (75.6%), Sri Lanka (69.6%) and Afghanistan (68.5%).

Pakistan is the least progressed country in this regard in the region with 55% reduction in under-five mortality rate.

Progress made in stillbirth

Bangladesh had one of the world's highest rates of stillbirth – defined as a baby who dies after 28 weeks of pregnancy, but before or during birth – when the century began. But it has since reduced this rate by half to 20.5% in 2021, from 41.3% in 2000.

Reasons for such appreciable effort can be rooted down to the integration of prevention of stillbirths in the country's maternal and newborn health strategies and initiatives to raise awareness done by both government and non-government organisations, according to the report "Never Forgotten" collectively published by Unicef, World Health Organisation, United Nations and World Bank group on Tuesday.

Estimates by the United Nation shows 14,000 children die and 5,000 babies are stillborn every day mostly of preventable causes across the world.

Globally five million babies died in 2021 before reaching their fifth birthday. Over 2.3 million babies died during the first month of their life. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia continue to face the highest risk of death. These two regions account for more than 80% of global under-five deaths as estimated by the United Nations.

Stillbirths are happening with alarming frequency in many countries. It is estimated that there are 1.9 million stillbirths across the world each year. Two in five of these babies die during labour, according to the United Nations. 

Likewise, mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia have the highest risk of losing their babies to stillbirth, with nearly 1.5 million of these tragedies taking place in these regions in 2021.