Dec 4, 2025, 7:22 amDec 4, 2025, 7:22 am
For the first time since the turn of the millennium, global child mortality is threatening to rise again. Researchers predict that the number of children who die before their fifth birthday will increase from 4.6 million to 4.8 million this year.
Global funding for health development assistance has decreased compared to last year.Image: AP
The researchers published the corresponding report on behalf of the Gates Foundation on Thursday. The foundation of US billionaire Bill Gates (70) is a major donor in the area of global health and development. Among other things, it supports programs against diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria as well as vaccination initiatives in poorer countries.
Global development aid money in the health sector fell by 26.9 percent this year compared to the previous year, it is said. In addition, many countries are burdened by high debts and fragile health systems. As a result, progress in the fight against diseases such as malaria, HIV and polio could be lost and millions of additional children would die in the coming decades.
Demand for targeted use of funds
Gates also emphasizes in the report that despite shrinking budgets, great progress is possible if the funds are used in a targeted manner. As examples, Gates cites basic health care, the expansion and improvement of standard vaccinations, and the targeted use of data to implement measures such as malaria prevention more precisely where they are most needed.
Founder of the Gates Foundation, US billionaire Bill Gates.Image: DPA
Basic medical care can prevent up to 90 percent of all child deaths for less than $100 a year per person. If the available resources were used correctly, malaria and pneumonia could be eradicated as causes of death in children, the report says. (sda/dpa)