Global child deaths are projected to rise for the first time in 25 years, reversing decades of progress, according to the Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report. This alarming increase is linked to a significant drop in global development assistance for health.

• Modeling by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) projects child deaths before age five will climb from 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million this year.
• Global development assistance for health fell 26.9% below 2024 levels, threatening hard-won gains against diseases like malaria, HIV, and polio.
• Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, urges leaders to make high-impact investments and implement cost-effective solutions, stating that continued funding cuts could lead to 16 million more child deaths by 2045.