Newborn deaths are surging among world’s most vulnerable. The West’s aid cuts are partly to blame
- Deaths of newborns have risen by more than 80 per cent among the most vulnerable people across sub-Saharan Africa in the wake of global aid cuts, including by the UK and US.
- Data covering more than three million refugee women across 20 nations, given exclusively to The Independent, shows that neonatal mortality – deaths within the first 28 days after birth – rose by 81 per cent between 2025 and 2026.
- That is a rise from 3.1 to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
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- Deaths of newborns have risen by more than 80 per cent among the most vulnerable people across sub-Saharan Africa in the wake of global aid cuts, including by the UK and US.
- Data covering more than three million refugee women across 20 nations, given exclusively to The Independent, shows that neonatal mortality – deaths within the first 28 days after birth – rose by 81 per cent between 2025 and 2026.
- That is a rise from 3.1 to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
Sources: The Independent