'Exemplar' — U.N. lauds India's progress in child mortality reduction

United Nations report praises India's health initiatives, including Ayushman Bharat, for saving millions of young lives through strategic investments.

India’s efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as “exemplar” by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, and said the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system.

The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report, released on Tuesday (March 25, 2025), cited the example of five “exemplar countries” in achieving child mortality reduction — India, Nepal, Senegal, Ghana and Burundi — highlighting diverse strategies that have accelerated progress in reducing preventable child deaths.

The report said these countries illustrate that with “political will, evidence-based strategies and sustained investments, even resource-constrained settings facing unique challenges can achieve substantial reductions in mortality, bringing the world closer to an end to preventable child deaths”.

On India, the report said the country has made gains through health system investment.

“Through strategic investments in its health system, India has already saved millions of young lives and paved the way to ensure healthy lives for millions more,” it said.

The report highlighted that since 2000, India achieved an under-five mortality reduction of 70% and a neonatal mortality reduction of 61%, “driven by overlapping measures to increase health coverage, enhance available interventions and develop health infrastructure and human resources.”

It cited the example of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme which provides annual coverage of nearly $5,500 per family per year.