State of the World's Children (SOWC) 2024 Report

Syllabus: Prelims Unit I - General Science

Report Overview

• Publisher: UNICEF (Annual publication)
• Focus: Major issues affecting children globally.
• Theme for 2024: Impact of demographic shifts, climate crises, and frontier technologies on children by 2050.

Key Projections for 2050

Child Population and Demographics

• Global child population to stabilize at 2.3 billion.
• India: Largest child population globally (350 million, 15% of global total).
• India, China, Nigeria, and Pakistan: Over one-third of the global child population.

Climate and Environmental Hazards

• Children's exposure to extreme weather events to rise sharply:
• 8x more heatwave exposure.
• 3.1x more river flood exposure.
• 1.7x more wildfire exposure.
• 1.3x more drought exposure.
• 1.2x more tropical cyclone exposure.
• Nearly 1 billion children face extreme vulnerability to climate and environmental hazards.

Socioeconomic Conditions

• 23% of the world’s children will live in low-income countries (up from 11% in 2000s).
• GDP per capita to more than double in regions like East Asia, the Pacific, and South Asia.

Education and Child Survival

• 96% of children globally expected to attain primary education (up from 80% in the 2000s).
• Global newborn survival rates projected to exceed 98%.
• Probability of survival to age 5 to increase to 99.5%.
• Life expectancy: 81 years for girls and 76 years for boys.

Urbanization

• Nearly 60% of children will reside in urban areas (up from 44% in the 2000s).

Digital Divide

• Internet Access: 95% in high-income countries vs. 26% in low-income countries.

India-Specific Findings

• Rank: 26th out of 163 countries on the Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) 2021.
• Indian children face significant risks from extreme heat, floods, droughts, and air pollution.

Recommendations

• Education and Health: Invest in education, health, and sustainable urban development.
• Climate Resilience: Strengthen infrastructure and essential services.
• Technology and Connectivity: Ensure safe and equitable technology use.

Additional Facts

• 400 million students faced school closures due to extreme weather since 2022.
• UNICEF received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1965.