Environment Facts: Get the facts on the environment in developing countries and how it affects children and their families.
- At least 1.6 billion people globally do not have electricity in their homes, and approximately 54 percent of people in developing countries lack access to modern forms of energy.
- More than 3 million children under age 5 die each year from diseases because of environment-related causes and conditions.
- Each year, acute respiratory infections kill approximately 2 million children under age 5. Worldwide, 60 percent of acute respiratory infections are due to environmental conditions.
- Diarrheal diseases take the lives of almost 2 million children each year. Eighty to 90 percent of these diseases are related to environmental conditions, specifically contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
- Nearly 1 million people die each year because of malaria. Of these deaths, 80 percent are children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa. Up to 90 percent of malaria cases are attributed to environmental factors.
- About 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation
