UN Report on Child Mortality (2024) Context: Around 4.9 million children died before age five in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns. The majority could be avoided with low-cost interventions and better access to quality healthcare. The report titled “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality” added that under-five deaths globally have fallen by more than half since 2000. However, since 2015, this pace has slowed by more than 60%. The Union Health Ministry added that India, over the past two decades, has played a pivotal role in reducing child mortality in the South Asia region. The Ministry, in its release, said that the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) recorded a decline since 1990. In 1990, India had an NMR of 57 per 1,000 live births, which fell to 17 in 2024. Also, the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) witnessed a sharp fall — in 1990, the U5MR stood at 127 per 1,000 live births, while in 2024, it declined to 27. This sharp reduction is due to targeted public health interventions, improved institutional delivery systems, and expanded immunisation coverage. World Happiness Report Finland has once again secured the top position in the World Happiness Report 2026, marking its ninth consecutive year as the world’s happiest country. Finland, Iceland, Denmark secured top three positions. India secured 116th rank in World Happiness Report. Current Facts The Indus River is known as the “Tigris of India.”
