October 19, 2017 - 16:30 AMT
Child mortality rate in Armenia notably dropped in 1990-2016: UN

The number of deaths among children under five has decreased from 50 for every 1,000 births in 1990 to 13 in 2016 in Armenia, a UN report said Thursday, october 19.

The neonatal mortality rate - probability of dying between birth and 28 days of age, expressed per 1,000 live births - stands at 7 as of 2016.

Titled Levels & Trends in Child Mortality, the report says that the rate of child mortality fell 62% from 1990–2016 globally, with under-five deaths dropping from 12.7 million to 5.6 million.

In 2016 alone, 7,000 newborn babies died every day. Newborn deaths made up 46 per cent of all child deaths, an increase from 41 per cent in 2000.

Pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria top the list of child killers that can be prevented. But the report said malnutrition, which can leave children more vulnerable to severe diseases, played a role in half the deaths.

According to the UN data, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, China and Niger account for half the deaths.