Worldwide, 3 million newborn deaths occur in the first four weeks of life.
The world’s neonatal mortality rate fell from 33 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 21 per 1,000 in 2012.
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa had lower percentage reductions than other regions (39% and 28% respectively).
In every region and in almost all countries, the share of neonatal deaths is rising, meaning that neonatal health needs to be addressed more effectively.
We could prevent 75% of neonatal deaths, more than 50% of deaths in the first year of life, and 99% of maternal deaths by: