Countdown to 2015: Ethiopia's progress towards reduction in under-five mortality: 2014 country case study

On September 13, 2013 the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) of Ethiopia and UNICEF\nannounced that Ethiopia has successfully reduced the under-five mortality rate by two\nthirds between 1990 and 2012, which is the target for achieving Millennium Development\nGoal-4. In 1990, the under-five mortality rate in Ethiopia was one of the highest in the\nworld at 205/1,000 live births. However, by 2012, this rate had declined to 68/1,000 live\nbirths with an average annual rate of decline of 5.0%. This exceeded the 4.3% annual rate\nof decline needed to reach MDG4 and was significantly higher than the decline rates\nobserved in many sub-Saharan African countries and even other low and middle-income\ncountries. In an effort to understand the story behind Ethiopia’s remarkable achievement\nof MDG-4, EPHI has conducted this in-depth Case Study which is supported by Countdown\nto 2015. The findings are believed to generate valuable lessons and guidance for other\nlow-income countries in their quest for accelerating health improvements and reducing\nchild deaths.