Mortality in Children Under Five by Cause, 1990 and 2001 | Low- and middle- income countries | East Asia and Pacific | Europe and Central Asia | Latin America and the Caribbean | Middle East and North Africa | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | High-income countries | World |
| Disease and indicator | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 | 1990 | 2001 |
| Acute respiratory infections |
| Deaths (thousands) | 2,521 | 1,943 | 492 | 197 | 68 | 36 | 83 | 44 | 138 | 76 | 1,027 | 833 | 713 | 757 | 13 | 2 | 2,533 | 1,944 |
| % of childhood deaths | 21.0 | 18.4 | 23.8 | 14.0 | 19.5 | 20.6 | 14.1 | 10.9 | 20.6 | 17.7 | 23.2 | 23.1 | 18.3 | 16.8 | 11.1 | 2.3 | 20.9 | 18.3 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 20 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 29 | 22 | 33 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 15 |
| Congenital anomalies |
| Deaths (thousands) | 421 | 421 | 118 | 115 | 25 | 24 | 30 | 41 | 22 | 41 | 186 | 142 | 41 | 58 | 19 | 18 | 440 | 439 |
| % of childhood deaths | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 7.1 | 13.5 | 5.1 | 10.1 | 3.3 | 9.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 16.3 | 24.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Diarrheal diseases |
| Deaths (thousands) | 2,362 | 1,599 | 274 | 201 | 61 | 12 | 108 | 46 | 144 | 66 | 991 | 631 | 784 | 643 | 11 | 0 | 2,374 | 1,600 |
| % of childhood deaths | 19.7 | 15.2 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 17.4 | 6.9 | 18.3 | 11.4 | 21.6 | 15.3 | 22.4 | 17.5 | 20.1 | 14.3 | 9.9 | 0.6 | 19.6 | 15.1 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 19 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 28 | 17 | 36 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 12 |
| HIV/AIDS |
| Deaths (thousands) | 62 | 340 | — | 5 | — | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | — | 14 | 60 | 313 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 340 |
| % of childhood deaths | 0.5 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.2 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Injuries |
| Deaths (thousands) | 647 | 302 | 206 | 82 | 25 | 11 | 28 | 19 | 32 | 24 | 188 | 79 | 169 | 87 | 9 | 7 | 656 | 309 |
| % of childhood deaths | 5.4 | 2.9 | 9.9 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 7.8 | 9.8 | 5.4 | 2.9 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Malaria |
| Deaths (thousands) | 588 | 1,086 | 7 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 57 | 570 | 984 | 0 | 0 | 588 | 1,086 |
| % of childhood deaths | 4.9 | 10.3 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 14.6 | 21.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 4.8 | 10.2 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Measles |
| Deaths (thousands) | 869 | 556 | 75 | 45 | 12 | 5 | 38 | — | 30 | 10 | 239 | 145 | 474 | 351 | 3 | 0 | 872 | 556 |
| % of childhood deaths | 7.2 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 6.5 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 5.4 | 4.0 | 12.2 | 7.8 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 7.2 | 5.2 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
| Perinatal conditions |
| Deaths (thousands) | 2,261 | 2,492 | 480 | 506 | 83 | 57 | 162 | 164 | 141 | 106 | 906 | 1,086 | 487 | 573 | 38 | 32 | 2,298 | 2,524 |
| % of childhood deaths | 18.8 | 23.7 | 23.2 | 36.0 | 23.6 | 32.9 | 27.6 | 40.3 | 21.2 | 24.7 | 20.4 | 30.1 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 33.0 | 44.5 | 18.9 | 23.8 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 18 | 20 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 26 | 29 | 22 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 19 |
| Other causes |
| Deaths (thousands) | 2,288 | 1,792 | 420 | 228 | 77 | 28 | 137 | 85 | 159 | 90 | 888 | 625 | 607 | 737 | 22 | 13 | 2,309 | 1,805 |
| % of childhood deaths | 19.0 | 17.0 | 20.3 | 16.2 | 21.9 | 16.3 | 23.2 | 21.0 | 23.8 | 20.9 | 20.0 | 17.3 | 15.5 | 16.4 | 19.1 | 17.9 | 19.0 | 17.0 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 18 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 11 | 25 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 14 |
| Total |
| Deaths (thousands) | 12,019 | 10,532 | 2,072 | 1,407 | 352 | 174 | 588 | 407 | 668 | 429 | 4,434 | 3,612 | 3,904 | 4,504 | 115 | 73 | 12,134 | 10,605 |
| % of childhood deaths | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Probability of dying before age 5 per 1,000 live births | 97 | 86 | 54 | 43 | 41 | 29 | 51 | 35 | 80 | 53 | 127 | 97 | 180 | 172 | 10 | 7 | 89 | 80 |
Sources: Estimates for 1990 are based on Murray and Lopez 1996, weighted to World Bank regions using population under five years old. Estimates for 2001 are from chapter 3 in this volume.
Note: — = not available or not applicable. Estimates of child mortality are rounded to the nearest whole number.
