Each year, approximately 5.9 million children around the world die before their fifth birthday (You and others 2015). The leading killers are prematurity and pneumonia, responsible for 17.8 percent and 15.5 percent of all deaths in this age group, respectively (Liu and others 2014, 2016). Degrees of malnutrition are associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and increased risk of death due to diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles (Black and others 2013).
© 2016 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank.