Child Deaths Worldwide Projected to Rise Due to Health Funding Cuts

The number of children who die before age 5 is expected to rise for the first time this century amid sweeping cuts to global health funding by high-income countries, according to a new report from the Gates Foundation, Lauren Kent reported for CNN.

The projected rise in deaths follows drastic cuts this year in global aid for health care, falling 26.9% below 2024 funding levels.

Child mortality worldwide is projected to reach an estimated 4.8 million deaths in 2025, an increase of 200,000 preventable deaths compared with last year, the Gates Foundation said in its new “Goalkeepers” report, which tracks global progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

That marks a reversal of decades of health progress, as child mortality has declined every year since 2000.

“It is 100% avoidable. There is no reason why those children should be dying,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation.

He urged governments and private donors to double down on the most cost-effective, lifesaving interventions, such as bolstering primary health-care systems and routine immunizations.

The projected rise in deaths follows drastic cuts this year in global aid for health care, falling 26.9% below 2024 funding levels.

“There are many causes, but clearly one of the key causes has been significant cuts in international development assistance from a number of high-income countries,” Suzman said in a briefing.

“The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and several others have all been making significant cuts.”

At least 24 high-income donor countries reduced overseas assistance this year, the report noted. Steep cuts by the Trump administration have had a particularly large impact, as the U.S. has historically been the world’s largest donor to global health.