India has made progress in the reduction of child mortality with the average annual rate of reduction between 1990 and 2006 being around 2.6 per cent. However, if India is to reach the Millennium Development Goals, set by the UN for making the world a better place to live in, the average annual rate of reduction over the next nine years should be around 7.6 per cent.

India’s failure to reach out to its children is amply demonstrated by the statistics released by the UNICEF State of World’s Children Report, released here on Tuesday.

With one million children dying within the first 28 days of life and a quarter of the world’s neonatal deaths occurring in India, it also bears around 21 per cent of the under-five years deaths globally.

Approximately 43 per cent of all the world’s infants who are born with a low birth weight are born in India. While 25 per cent of children under age five in the world are underweight, in India this figure is 43 per cent.

“The average annual rate of decline in malnutrition rates since 1990 has been around 0.9 per cent. Considerably accelerated progress is needed for India to meet its MDG target of halving the percentage of underweight children by 2015,” the report said.

The states with the highest number of children underweight are MP, Jharkhand and Bihar followed by Gujarat, Orissa, Chattisgarh, UP and Meghalaya.

Mortality Rate
*One million children in India die within the first 28 days of life.
*A quarter of the world’s neonatal deaths occur in India.
*India bears around 21 per cent of the under-five years deaths globally.
*In India, approximately 43 per cent of the world’s infants who are born with a low birth weight.