• Y P Wang, L Miao, L Dai, G X Zhou, C H He, X H Li, Q Li, M R Li, J Zhu, and J Liang.
• National Office for Maternal and Child Health Surveillance of China, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
• Public Health. 2011 May 1; 125 (5): 301-7.

ObjectivesTo study the change in mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China over the past decade, and to evaluate China's progress in achieving Millennium Development Goal 4.Study DesignPopulation-based descriptive study.MethodsA population-based survey was conducted through a nationwide multi-level surveillance network. The mortality rate and the leading causes of death for children under 5 years of age were analysed.ResultsThe mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China dropped by 54.2% between 1996 and 2006 (from 45.0 per 1000 livebirths to 20.6). During this period, deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea dropped by 69.4% and 69.7%, respectively. The proportion of deaths due to pneumonia dropped from 23.4% in 1996 to 15.6% in 2006, and the proportion of deaths due to diarrhoea dropped from 5.6% in 1996 to 3.7% in 2006.ConclusionThe mortality rate for children under 5 years of age in China dropped remarkably from 1996 to 2006. This reduction was mainly due to a significant decrease in deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea. Based on the survey results, China should be able to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4.Copyright © 2011 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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