Complications related to prematurity, suffocation at birth or infections caused the deaths, which in some cases could have been avoided, of 75,647 children under 5 years old in Europe in 2022, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) released today.

Congenital heart disease and neonatal sepsis are among the five leading causes of these deaths, according to this report covering 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, including the 27 EU member states, and 930 million people.

“Many infants and children continue to die needlessly before the age of five,” wrote WHO Europe in its triennial report.

In the Europe region, home to some of the world’s most robust health systems, there is stagnation or even decline in a number of indicators, particularly in child and adolescent health, the WHO highlighted.

Although the mortality rate among children under 5 remains very low in Europe, the differences between countries are remarkable. Most EU countries record 1.5 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 births, while Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have rates of 18.2 to 40.4.

“Reducing this gap remains a challenge”, the WHO stressed.

However, other issues related to the health of children and adolescents are also recorded in Europe: one in five adolescents experience a psychological condition, suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 29, girls consistently report lower levels of mental health than boys.

In addition, 15% of teenagers say they have been the victim of online harassment, one in 10 teenagers aged 13 to 15 smoke and nearly one in three have reached the age of six by being overweight and one in eight by being obese.

“In our online and connected world, our young people are surprisingly feeling more alone than ever before. Many of them are finding it difficult to manage their weight and self-confidence, which is making their health worse in adulthood,”  warned Hans Kluge, director of WHO Europe.

The organisation has launched consultations with its 53 member countries to determine priorities and action to be taken over the next five years.