Azernews.Az

The number of deaths in children before they reach age five dropped in Azerbaijan in the past two decades, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said in a report.

The annual number of deaths in Azerbaijani children under five fell to 46 per 1,000 births in 2010, from 93 deaths per 1,000 births in 1990, says the groups’ annual report on child mortality released Wednesday.

The infant mortality rate dropped to 39 from 74 per 1,000 births. The newborn mortality rate has sharply decreased as well – to 19 from 31 per 1,000 births.

In its assessment of the world’s annual child mortality rate, the UN report said the number of children who die before they reach age five is shrinking, falling to 7.6 million global deaths in 2010 from more than 12 million 20 years ago. UNICEF and WHO explained the trend primarily with improved healthcare services and broader use of immunizations.

Overall, 12,000 fewer children under age 5 die each day than a decade ago, the report said.

About half of all under 5 deaths in the world took place in just five countries in 2010: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and China.

According to the report, more than 40 percent of deaths in children under age 5 occur within the first month of life and more than 70 percent occur in the first year of life.

Deaths among children under age 5 increasingly are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, with 82 percent of child deaths occurring in these regions in 2010, compared with 69 percent in 1990.

In sub-Saharan Africa, one in eight children and in southern Asia one in 15 children die before reaching age five. That compares with 1 in 143 children dying before age 5 in developed countries.