Mortal combat

By J.L.P. and G.D.

Death rates are declining worldwide

IN ALMOST every country, mortality rates fell during the four decades to 2010, according to the UN. The biggest falls were among young children. In the decade 2000-10 deaths between the ages of 0 to 4 fell 34%, twice the rate of decline experienced by those aged 5 to 49. The biggest absolute declines occurred in poor and low-to-middle-income countries. The one exception to the optimistic trend was in countries suffering from HIV/AIDS or political violence. A group of health professionals writing in the Lancet, a British medical journal, argues that a moderate improvement in these trends could avoid about half of the 20m deaths that would be seen in 2030 if the death rates of 2010 did not change. They advocate the establishment of a global "sustainable development goal," in which countries aim to reduce the number of premature deaths by 40% by 2030.