Sat Dec 06 07:30:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article rewrite:
Summary:
A new model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) projects a rise in global child mortality for the first time this century, with an estimated 4.8 million children under 5 dying in 2025, up from 4.6 million in 2024. This increase is largely attributed to a significant drop in foreign aid for health, particularly impacting low-income countries and those in Sub-Saharan Africa. The model predicts that continued cuts to global health funding could result in millions of additional child deaths by 2045, while increased funding could save millions of lives through health innovations. Experts emphasize that behind these numbers are the lives of individual children.
News Article:
Global Child Mortality Set to Rise, Reversing Decades of Progress, Experts Warn
Seattle, WA – After decades of remarkable progress in reducing child mortality, a new study projects a grim reversal, with an estimated 4.8 million children under the age of five expected to die in 2025. This marks the first time this century that child mortality rates are projected to increase, according to modeling from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
The projected increase is largely attributed to a drastic reduction in global health aid. In 2024, around $49 billion was given in foreign aid for health. In 2025, that number dropped to $36 billion. The IHME model highlights the direct link between reduced funding and child mortality rates, particularly in low-income countries and those in Sub-Saharan Africa, where healthcare systems are heavily reliant on foreign assistance.
“We expect low-income countries and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to be the most affected,” said Dr. Steve Lim, a professor of health metrics sciences at IHME. He estimates that some countries spent 20% less on health as a result of the cuts
The study, published as part of the Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers Report, paints a stark picture of the potential consequences. Continued cuts in health funding could lead to millions of additional child deaths by 2045, the report warns. Conversely, a renewed commitment to funding health for the poorest countries could leverage health innovations to save millions of lives.
Experts emphasize the human cost of these statistics. “It’s a child,” says Brooke Nichols, an associate professor of global health at Boston University. “It could be your child. It could be my child.”
The findings serve as a stark reminder of the fragility of progress in global health and the critical importance of sustained investment in children’s well-being.
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