6 million deaths at birth

During the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era and particularly the last decade, the world has witnessed remarkable progress for women’s and children’s health, with maternal and child deaths having been halved. Sadly this is not the case for newborns and stillbirths. Why is there now a greater proportion of deaths around the time of birth?

In this step, Professor Joy Lawn explains the estimates of stillbirths and newborn deaths, highlights a range of issues facing women, babies, and children, and outlines the data available and what it means for the post-MDG era.