Newborn deaths are surging in the world’s most vulnerable communities as aid cuts hit

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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Source: Independent, 2 August 2026