UNICEF DATA - Child Statistics

Data to inform the
COVID-19 response

UNICEF’s call to protect children, especially the most marginalized, is essential now more than ever and our global databases can inform that response by painting a picture of children around the world. In the face of this crisis, where are children especially vulnerable to physical punishment? Are sufficient hygiene facilities available in schools? And is healthcare accessible for children with acute respiratory symptoms?

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Immunization coverage: Are we losing ground?

Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions to date, saving an estimated 2 to 3 million lives each year. As a result of immunization, the world is closer than ever to eradicating polio, and deaths from measles have declined by 73 per cent worldwide between 2000 and 2018. The emergence of COVID-19, however, threatens to reverse this progress by severely limiting access to life-saving vaccines.

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Impacts of COVID-19 on childhood malnutrition and mortality

According to commentaries published in the Lancet, 6.7 million additional children under 5 could suffer from wasting during the first year of the pandemic (a 14.3 per cent increase in the number of children who are wasted) in the absence of timely action, leading to an estimated 10,000 additional child deaths per month during this same period. The heads of UNICEF, FAO, WFP and WHO call for a $2.4 billion investment to protect children from and treat children with malnutrition.

We believe that consistent, credible data about children’s situations are critical to the improvement of their lives – and indispensable to realizing the rights of every child.

1 in 4

births of the global population of children under five have never been registered

More than 2 in 3

children are subjected to violent discipline by caregivers

More than 175 million

children do not have access to pre-primary education

3 billion

people do not have a handwashing facility with water and soap at home

6.2 million

children under 15 years died in 2018

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Handwashing data to inform the COVID-19 response

Adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services for households, schools and healthcare facilities are essential to prevent the spread of infectious diseases including COVID-19. The low levels of coverage of these basic services in many parts of the world reflect substantial inequalities between and within countries and contribute to the vulnerability of these populations to the pandemic.

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Lost at home: The risks and challenges for internally displaced children and the urgent actions needed to protect them

Today, more children than ever before are displaced within their own countries. At the end of 2019, an estimated 46 million people were internally displaced by conflict and violence. More than 4 in 10 – or 19 million – were children. Forced out of their homes and communities, these children are among the most vulnerable in the world.

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Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates - 2020 edition

New estimates on child malnutrition for the indicators of stunting, wasting, severe wasting, and overweight released by UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, to describe the magnitude and patterns of malnutrition in children under 5 around the world. Timely, disaggregated, and quality data help identify where vulnerable children live so that interventions to counteract the potential adverse effects of COVID-19 can be implemented targeting those most in need.

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Data to inform the
COVID-19 response

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