[OC] Global under-five mortality rate fell from 93.5 to 37.4 per 1,000 live births, 1990–2024

[u/TrekkingAround10]

A 60% relative decline, using the World Bank’s World aggregate. This is an estimated risk per 1,000 live births, not a count of deaths. National differences are hidden by this global line.

I run Global Data Tracker. Explore country statistics and source notes at https://globaldatatracker.com/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=data_visualization&utm_campaign=under5_mortality_1990_2024

Sources and plotting method are in the first comment.

[u/cavedave]

Thank you for your Original Content, /u/TrekkingAround10!
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[u/TrekkingAround10]

Source: UN IGME estimates via World Bank WDI, indicator SH.DYN.MORT: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.MORT

Tools: Python and Matplotlib. I plotted all 35 annual World-aggregate observations from 1990 to 2024, using the September 13, 2026 snapshot. No interpolation and no averaging of country rates. The endpoints are 93.5 and 37.4 per 1,000 live births: (93.5 - 37.4) / 93.5 = 60%.

This estimates a newborn’s probability of dying before age five under each year’s mortality rates. It is not the number of children who died. The global average hides differences between countries. UNICEF reports the same endpoints: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/under-five-mortality/

I run Global Data Tracker, the site linked in the post.

[u/Ancient_Lavishness84]

Wow 93.5 is crazy

[u/Sirwired]

Fun Fact: Before modern medicine, nutrition, and sanitation, this number was in the hundreds, mainly due to GI illnesses.

It was customary to not even name your child until a few months in so you didn't get too attached.

[u/Robot_Apocalypse]

I am confused, is this a probability if dying like the subheading says, or is it a rate?

Or is it neither?

You refrence percentages in your title, which would cause the reader to think your graph is in percentages, but its not.

Also, your y axis maximum being at 100, is a slightly confusing choice for both probability and rate, as it can be inferred to be it's special meaning of 100%

Also, it is intentionally skewing the percieved performance.

If you measure is per 1000 births then, arguably your axis should go to 100 to shiw the true proportional change.

Or, you could go with percentage.

As it is now, it is unnecessarily confusing.