Neonatology: A global perspective

In 2017, approximately 2.5 million neonates died, and most of them died within the first week of life. Preterm births continue to be the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Whilst evidence-based interventions for success are well documented in the literature, the majority of neonatal deaths are concentrated in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, areas where provision of these interventions is low. A key area of unmet needs is towards reducing the number of stillbirths occurring globally. In this post-Millennium Development Goals era, the focus is now towards reducing disparities in quality and coverage of care, and empowering women and their societies, in order to achieve the new targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals for neonatal mortality.